Nostalgia
by FueledByEnvy
Summary: Finally having enough, she slammed her arms down onto the couch, "Fine!" she finally yelled, "I'll be on your swim team! Just stop whining!" She was Nagisa Hazuki's older sister - it was only expected she'd join the swim team. (Bad summary! OC X Various.)
1. Chapter 1

**... I apologize in advance for how awful this is. I have had this idea in my head though for a week... And I promise the next chapter will be wayyyy better, if you stick around! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.**

* * *

Her younger brother leaned over the arm of the couch, hands clasped together in front of him.

"Please, Aki-kun! We just need one more member!" As he begged, the girl gave a sigh, shoving his forehead.

"For one," she began, succeeding in pushing the blonde form atop her, "do not use _-kun _on the end of my name. For two, I am older than you, so even if _-kun _was correct gender wise, it is not the right suffix. And for _three, _I am not joining your swim team, Nagisa."

"But, _Aki-kun-"_

"No buts, Nagisa!" she sighed, removing her glasses to clean a smudge. Whether she wore them because she truly needed them, or to be more fashionable, Nagisa wasn't sure. "I already have enough on my plate; solo and ensemble, and student council! Besides, Nagi, I don't play sports, you know this."

Nagisa let out a cry, falling back down on his sister's lap. "But you wouldn't have to swim, Aki-kun! We already have all our members, a manager, and a teacher! All we need is a secretary; please, Aki-kun!"

She gave a sigh, elbows resting on Nagisa's back, "I would if I could, Nagi. I'm sorry, but I just have too much to deal with." Stretching her arm, she grabbed a bottle of nail polish from the coffee table, beginning to shake it up.

"Come on, Aki-kun! Solo ensemble isn't for another month, and student council only meets once a week!" he grabbed the nail polish from her hands, "Please, Aki-kun! I'll paint your nails for you; I know you can't do one hand!"

An annoyed sigh sounded from her throat as she reached for the nail polish back. "-Nagisa, I know that you're just trying to bring back the old team, but I really can't. I've already had to cover for you three _twice _for trespassing, the people on student council are talking-"

Nagisa rolled off her lap just as her hand closed round the bottle, flopping onto the floor. Their two dogs jumped up, gathering around Nagisa, sniffing at him. "I don't get why you're even on student council, it's not like they actually have a say in anything!"

He continued rolling around on the floor, letting out a droning, high-pitched noise as a whine. The older of the two dogs bucked up, a hearty bark at Nagisa as she pawed at him.

Akihiko sighed, "Nagisa, please stop making that noise-"

His whining went up an octave; the younger dog yelped, jumping up to cower on the couch.

"Hime, stop barking! Kairi, come here, it's alright-"

Nagisa continued thrashing about, doing no good to soothe Hime, who bucked up again, nuzzling the blonde's side.

"Hime! Nagi-"

Finally having enough, she slammed her arms down onto the couch, "Fine!" she finally yelled, "I'll be on your swim team! _Just stop whining!"_

As soon as she'd finished, Nagisa's whining stopped, and he bounced up to his feet, "Really?! Thank you, Aki-kun!" he plopped down on her lap once again, grabbing her hands and beginning to shake the nail polish once again, a tornado of glitter forming in the bottle.

"Just paint my nails, Nagisa."

* * *

After the discussion with her younger brother, she supposed she shouldn't of been all that shocked when Makoto Tachibana strolled up to her desk with a friendly smile plastered on his face, though she was.

"Akihiko-chan!" he greeted, bowing his head to the two chatting girls, who glanced up from their desks at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Your brother told me this morning! You joined the swim team?"

Akihiko blinked pink hues up at the boy, attempting to ignore her friend's look, "Oh- Makoto-kun! I didn't know we had classes together..."

"We don't, Akihiko-chan! I asked Nagisa-kun what your homeroom was so I could talk to you in the morning."

"Oh. Um- Mako-kun, this is Lando-chan! I- um..."

Lando gave a smile to the towering boy, leaning her elbows on her desk, "Hello, Makoto-kun." she greeted, excepting the hand he outstretched, "Um- what was that, you said? Akihiko joined the... swim team?"

Makoto nodded, "Yes, Lando-chan! Her brother talked her into it - which was a great idea, we only needed one more member!"

She smiled, "I didn't know Iwatobi had a swim team." she remarked, looking up at the boy underneath long eyelashes.

"Oh, for the longest time we didn't, Lando-chan. Nagisa-kun had to idea to start one." he gave another smile, "I'm glad Aki-chan decided to join, Lando-chan. We started the swim team to meet back with an old friend, so with her on the team again it brings back memories."

The brunette girl nodded, "Oh, really-" though was cut off by the bell before she could voice her question; she gave an annoyed tut, before looking back up at Makoto.

"Oh - well, I'll see you after school, Aki-chan!" he waved, turning on his heel, "Bye bye, Lando-chan!"

The two girls gave dainty waves themselves as Makoto darted out, though as soon as the boy rounded out the doorway, Lando turned in her seat, leaning over to her friend.

"_Akihiko, _you didn't tell me you joined the swim team! _You don't do sports!"_

Akihiko gave a sigh, "Lando, I'm not actually swimming, I'm just the secretary-"

"That Makoto, Akihiko! How do you know someone like _that?"_

"Nagisa used to swim with him; I watched them swim, and I'd help mom plan their celebrations-"

"Swimming practice is today, right? Is that what he meant? You're going, right?"

"What? I don't know, I should practice for solo ensemble tonight..."

"You can practice when you get home, Akihiko! I haven't seen Nagisa for awhile - I'll go with you!"

"I don't know, Lando-"

"Come on, Akihiko! I did my hair today, I might as well go hang around a bunch of shirtless boys!"

"I just feel like this won't end well, Lando."

"It'll be fine, Akihiko! I'm sure Makoto would love us there."

"... Well, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am, Ak-"

"Miss Hazuki, Miss Layton, books out, please!"

* * *

By the time the two girls had arrived, all shirts were already forgotten, laps currently being ran around the school. They greeted the napping Ama-chan, Akihiko introducing Lando to Gou, who both immediately hit it off with their shared love of muscles. The two girls were huddled together, making hushed conversation, when panting was heard from the side walk.

Nagisa jogged himself up, "Onee-chan!" he cried, running up, "You actually came!"

Akihiko turned at her brother's calling, waving a hand, glittering nail polish caught by the Sun, "Hey, Nagisa. Oh - I brought Lando, is that alright?" Her voice held arrogance however, declaring Lando was staying no matter what the response.

"Hiya, Lando-kun!"

"It's chan-"

"You must of given up on that diet the same time Onee-chan did, huh!"

The twos' eyes met, brown clashing with pink. Finally, Lando gave a defeated sigh-

"Yeah, nice to you again too, Nagisa."

"Right back at ya', Lando-kun!"

"You should be nicer to your Onee-chan and her friend, Nagisa-kun."

The blonde boy hesitated, turning round to the boy jogging up from the fencing surrounding the pool, "Oh, but, Mako-chan! She's just like us! Except she's a girl with a boy's name!"

Makoto smiled, walking over to them, "I think," he declared, "it's more of a unique name, than a boy's name."

Lando swooned, fanning herself with her hand, "Oh - thank you, Makoto-kun!"

Makoto smiled, flicking sweat-dampened hair from his eyes, "Here - I guess I'll introduce everybody, right? You've already met Kou-chan and Ama-chan, Nagisa-kun and myself." Makoto turned, holding his arm out to the pool; a noirette crouched on the concrete, looking longingly down at the water with intense blue eyes. "Right there's Haruka-kun." Makoto gave an awkward chuckle, "He didn't want to run..."

Akihiko smiled, "Haru-kun hasn't changed, has he?"

Lando hesitated, pulling her eyes from the boy beside the pool, "Oh, Makoto-kun, how come you're all running, in stead of swimming?..."

Makoto smiled down at the girl, "It's still too cold to swim, Lando-chan."

"Yeah!" Nagisa piped in, "Haru-chan learned that the hard way!"

As if on cue, a sneeze was heard; Haruka rocked on his heels before falling to his bottom, rubbing his nose with a sour expression.

Akihiko smiled at the scowling boy, then hesitated, "That's only - don't know need one more member?"

Nagisa pouted, "Yeah! Rei-chan couldn't make it to practice today, he's at track instead."

Lando sat down on the concrete, tucking her skirt in-between her legs, squinting her eyes up at the towering boys, "If it's not swimming season, how come you guys have practice?"

Makoto crouched to her level, a kind gesture so the girl wouldn't have to gaze up into the Sun, "We're having a joint practice with Samezuka this weekend."

Akihiko blinked down at them, "Nagisa told me about them - Isn't that the school Rin's going too?"

Makoto's smile faltered for a moment, though it quickly returned, not a second later, "Yes, ever since he's came back from Australia." he said, standing, offering a helping hand to Lando.

Lando excepted the hand, hauling herself up. She gave Akihiko a side-glance, a silent reminder to inform her just who Rin was.

Makoto dropped her hand a second before the contact would be considered intimate. "Akihiko-chan, Lando-chan, are you coming to watch us this weekend?"

"Oh, Mako-kun, I'm not sure, I should practice-"

"Of course we'll come, Makoto-kun! We'd love too." Lando volunteered the both of them, beaming.

Akihiko hesitated, her eyebrows furrowing together, "You're not even on the swim team."

"No," Lando began, clasping her hands together, "but I'll be Iwatobi Swim Team's number one fan!"

Nagisa, Makoto, and Lando all cheered. eventually roping Gou in; Haruka gave them barely a minute's look before returning back to staring at the pool; Ama-chan smiled, clapping her hands together lightly, parasol in the crook of her elbow; Akihiko however sighed, and couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go very wrong with this _swim team._

* * *

**I just. Ugh. Akihiko and Lando don't come off as Mary Janes, do they? I promise, in the long run they won't be!**

**Review? Please? :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

* * *

Stepping into the Hazukis' house, Lando used her knee to push back Kairi; reaching into her purse, she smiled down at Hime, who bucked up at the sight of her. Retrieving treats, she passed one down to Hime, then threw one off to the side - Kairi bolted after it, hopping clear over Nagisa, who was seated on the floor.

Nagisa bent his back, leaning his head in-between his knees, sitting back up after a successful crack sounded. "Lando-kun!" he greeted, smiling at her, "You're coming to watch us swim?"

The girl nodded, brown bun bouncing atop her head, "Yeah, Nagisa-kun. Hey, where's your sister?"

The boy gave a shrug, returning to his position with his forehead almost touching the carpet, Kairi sitting down in front of him. "Getting ready." he replied, and after a few more seconds sat back up and stood, patting his lap, "Kairi-chan, Kairi-chan!" he chanted, and the black dog jumped up, pawing at his chest, "You want to go outside?! Let's go outside!"

Lando smiled, dropping her purse on the couch, letting Hime walk in front of her to follow Nagisa and the smaller dog outside. Heading further into the house, she passed the kitchen, walking down a hallway.

"Akihiko?" she called, stopping at a door and knocking; at no reply, she sighed, pushing the door open. She heard the girl inside jump, almost dropping her straightener, burning herself in the process.

Headphones fell from her ears, a happy beat sounding from them that Lando could not place. "What're you doing?" she asked, walking into the bathroom to stand beside Akihiko.

"Getting ready to leave." Pink eyes looked over the girl in front of her, "You found your glasses?" she motioned with her straightener to her friend, before clamping it down on a strand of her own brown hair.

Lando nodded, going to sit on the closed toilet, "I almost stepped on them when I was leaving. They were underneath some dirty clothes." she replied, then hesitated, suddenly feeling self conscious with her messy hair and blemished face. "Why are you doing your hair? We're going to a pool."

Akihiko's eyes didn't turn way from her reflection in the mirror, hands moving expertly in her thick hair, "Well, yeah, but we're not swimming."

She sat the straightener down on the sink, reaching for a make up bag, before she turned and her eyes met Lando's. Blinking, she hesitated.

"You didn't - You didn't think we were swimming, did you?"

After a moment of silence, Akihiko's hand flew up to her lips, "You did, didn't you!" she laughed, clutching the purple bag to her chest.

Lando looked away, "I wasn't sure!" she objected, shaking her head, "I don't have a swim suit anyway, I just thought it'd be weird if I did my hair with everyone else in the pool!"

Akihiko however kept laughing, "You're not even on the swim team!" Finally calming down, she took a breath, unzipping the bag and beginning to rummage through it.

"Let me borrow your straightener."

Akihiko hesitated, glancing up, "What? No! My hair's way thicker than yours, just go with it up!"

"I didn't even _brush _my hair this morning, Akihiko!"

Giving a sigh, she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, "My old straightener's in my room. You can borrow a shirt, too, if you want." she offered, eyes glancing over the over sized sweat shirt her friend donned before turning back to the make up bag, pulling out a brown eye pencil.

Nodding, she walked past Akihiko, attempting to yank the ponytail holder from her hair. When she returned, purple straightener clutched in her hands, she plugged it in beside Akihiko's, watching the blue light blink and label the temperature before she began talking.

"... By the way, you never told me who Rin is."

The girl hesitated, handing her friend her hair brush before removing her glasses, leaning into the mirror, "Oh, sorry. I meant to call you last night about it, I forgot." she shrugged, "Rin used to be on the swim team with my brother." she said simply, beginning to rim her eye without elaborating.

Lando hesitated, running the brush through her hair, a ripping-like sound and a cringe following. "Makoto-kun said he'd been in Australia, didn't he? Why?"

She shrugged once again, "He went to study abroad. He wanted to get better at swimming, while the rest of them just wanted to have fun." she sighed, pulling away and blinking at herself in the mirror, "At least he's back now." she shrugged, sitting the pencil down for Lando and looking through the make up bag again.

Lando nodded, sitting the brush down beside the pencil, hand going to adjust the straightener's temperature. "He'll be at the practice, won't he? With Samesuka?"

Akihiko shrugged, pulling mascara out, unscrewing it, "I don't see why he wouldn't be."

Lando nodded, moving the straightener along her hair, the girls sitting in silence for a moment before pounding sounded on the door, claws scratching against it.

_"Aki-kun, Lando-kun! _We're going to be late!"

Akihiko sighed, turning off her own straightener, walking across the bathroom as she spoke, "Are you ready, Nagisa?"

There was a pause. "... Well, _no, _Onee-chan-"

"How about you go get ready, and by the time you're done, we'll be done, alright."

Another moment passed, before Nagisa apparently agreed, walking away from the door, dogs following. Akihiko sighed, grabbing a can of hairspray from a cabinet, "Hurry up, you have ten minutes!" she said, turning to Lando as she sprayed it along her hair, effectively suffocating Lando and clouding both their glasses. She placed the red can down on the sink before turning away, walking out, an annoyed whine sounding from down the hall.

_"Onee-chan! Kairi-chan won't let go of my penguin!"_

* * *

Moccasins slid across the concrete of Samezuka's, a short stride, walking behind her ecstatic brother. Pale hands pulled at the sleeves of the red jack she wore, identical to Rei and Gou's, while pink eyes glanced round at the swimmers surrounding her. Lando stuck close to her heel, feeling self conscious in this out-of-character environment, listening to the way the deep voices of the males bounced off the walls, brown eyes glancing round before returning to look over the members of Iwatobi's Swim Team in front of the three girls, Gou lagging behind them, eyes showing no shame as they raked over Samezuka's swimmers.

Pausing in her steps, Akihiko glanced up at the golden-eyed man approaching him, Lando bumping into her. She looked round at the boys beside her before pulling Lando away, going to sit down on the benches lining the pools walls. _We have no place there._

Sitting down, she gave a sigh, Lando following suit, though shot back up when Gou gave a cry.

_"Onii-chan!"_

At that, Akihiko eyes blinked, standing as well. _"Is that Rin?" _Lando asked in her ear, attempting not to have the boy's eyes drawn to them at the sound of his name.

Akihiko's head nodded, brown hair bouncing against her shoulders, "Yeah," she said, taking a step forward when her brother greeted the redhead as well. "He... doesn't look really happy." Lando remarked, taking a step forward with her friend, not wanting to be left alone in the crowd of unfamiliar faces.

"Rin-chan! We get to swim together!" Nagisa cheered, eyes bright, though faltered at the taller boy's scoff.

_"Together?" _those red eyes held a spark, incredulous at such an idea, "You guys are a waste of my time."

She hesitated, immediately and out of instinct walking towards them to come to her brother's defense, when Rin brushed past her, stalking off. She couldn't help but to pause at this, glancing back at him, eyes glancing over the kanji on his back, _Samezuka _placed proudly across his shoulders - _Does he even remember me?_

Feeling the weight of the girl's stare on his back, he glanced over his shoulder, a persistent strand of magenta hair falling into red eyes. With the weight of his stare suddenly on her, the girl froze, shoulders going rigid, before she slowly, experimentally rose a hand, waving.

"Um - Hello, Rin-kun."

The boy's unblinking stare gazed at her for a moment longer, before muttering something under his breath, turning back round and resuming his walk. Akihiko hesitated, lowering her hand quickly before the team behind her could catch her, jumping when she heard Lando's voice.

"Not to be mean," the girl began, leaning over to speak quietly to her friend, "but he seems like a _dick."_

Akihiko sighed, turning back towards her, "He's... really different." she murmured, half to herself, looking over Lando's shoulder to the team, making a brief mental note to question someone about Rin's change of attitude.

From the bicker on her team, her eyes scanned over the rest of the team to the newest addition, settling on Rei. She watched a member of Samezuka jog off before turning to glance at Lando, who appeared to be debating leaving the familiar Iwatobi boys to sit down and risk an awkward conversation with a member of Samezuka or standing.

By the time Rei was standing on the starting block, pressing the goggles down securely on his eyes, the two girls were already seated once again on the bench with the addition of Gou, the boys standing beside them.

The captain of their team, Seijuro Mikoshiba, the golden-eyed boy, gave off a countdown for the two boys on their starting blocks, "On your mark... Go!"

The two jumped off at the same time, eyes trained on Rei. _His form isn't bad._

Though, at the splash that sounded not a second later, a confused noise left all their throats, with the exception of Lando, whose hand went up to cover her mouth.

Unable to hold it back, a laugh barked out, echoing around the pool, then grew. Akihiko's cheeks flushed, turning to her friend. "Lando!" she hissed, voice coming out hushed, glancing around at the staring eyes.

_"Lando! _Stop laughing!"

Then again, she assumed it _was _pretty funny.

Listening to Lando's laughter for a moment more, she bit her lip, and - just like her friend, unable to contain it - she laughed, at first a chuckle, then loud and obnoxious, letting it become obvious she was, in fact, related to Nagisa.

"Lan-do! Stop!"

"You stop!"

Unable too, Akihiko covered her mouth, attempting to look away from the staring eyes of Makoto and Nagisa.

"Would you two shut up? You're really annoying."

At that, however, pink eyes widened, her laughter stifling. Lando's also came to an abrupt halt, and the two girls looked up to where the voice came from.

Rin gazed down at them from the balcony, face expressionless, though his eyes were narrowed, daring one of the girls to speak up.

And one of them did.

Akihiko stood from the bench, turning round so she could face the arrogant boy. _"Excuse me?" _she snapped, shoulders set back, and Nagisa grabbed one of her arms, Makoto taking hold of the other one.

Rin's eyes widened a fraction, before quickly narrowing once again. "I said-"

"I know what you said!" the girl yelled back up, voice echoing, cutting the boy off. She opened her mouth once again, though paused at Makoto's voice behind her, "He's not resurfacing..."

She hesitated, turning back to her team, and Haruka gave a sigh, jumping in before any could say anything, pulling Rei up.

Nagisa dropped his sister's arm, sure she was now calm, "Rei-chan!" he called to the sputtering boy, "Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?!"

Makoto stepped forward, offering a helping hand to pull the blunette from the water. He hauled himself up, goggles clenched in his hands, Haruka following. Akihiko hesitated, suddenly feeling shameful for laughing, and stepped forward, realizing herself as a part of the team as she took Rei's arm and pulled him past the questioning Nagisa, going to sit him down beside her and Lando.

She gave a reassuring smile, giving Nagisa a look when he attempted to question him again, "Don't worry about it, Rei-kun." she said, pulling the goggles from his hands, "Not everyone can swim as naturally as Haruka-kun."

Rei hesitated, though was unable to speak, the girl continuing, "Here, watch Haruka-kun." She turned to Lando on the other side of her, addressing them both, "He's like a dolphin when he swims."

The two gave the girl a questioning look, before turning to look at the starting blocks, Haruka taking his position the same as the boy beside him. Seijuro gave them the same countdown, and they jumped off, Rei and Lando both giving a gasp as Haruka hit the water.

Akihiko had been right - he did resemble a dolphin.

His movements were smooth, leaving them in awe, and as soon as he broke the surface Akihiko jumped up, clapping her hands together.

"Good job, Haruka-kun!" she cheered, "You looked great!"

The boy gave her a look, the spark in his eyes some where between annoyance, confusion, and - was that _humor? _No, it couldn't be - before sinking down, leaning only the top of his head visible atop the water, using his mouth to blow bubbles in response.

The girl smiled, turning to the two sitting behind her, before glancing back up, her eyes challenging Rin this time round to speak up.

Though he kept his mouth shut.

* * *

**Well. I hope this is better than the first chapter! I have a _lot _in store though! :D I'm looking forward to writing the next few chapters!**

**Thanks for the favorites and follows! And for the reviews! :D  
**

**Carrie153: She'll become more independent, don't worry! :D And thanks, I tried not to make it too boring :3**

**Kariann-chan: Thanks! :D **

**Review? :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Akihiko gave a sigh as she slid on moccasins, deciding to settle for these, unable to find any tennis shoes. She'd opted out of going with the swim team to track practice after school in exchange for practicing for solo and ensemble, letting Iwatobi Swim Team's self-proclaimed number one fan take her position for the day. Hooking up a leash to Kairi's collar, the dog half-dragged her to the front door - Akihiko was slightly surprised, honestly, that the dog knew where to go. This was the first walk the dog had gone on in the four years they'd had her, but here the medium-sized black dog was, enthusiastically jumping against the door.

She called a goodbye to her brother before walking out, the dog a few steps in front of her, and it hadn't been five minutes into their walk when Lando called her.

"Hello?" Akihiko made it a point to have every greeting as polite and elegant sounding as she could - the reason behind this, she wasn't sure.

"Hey, are you going Suzeme's this weekend?"

Pink eyes blinked, and she gave a light tug on Kairi's leash to force her to slow down, "Oh... Um, she texted me about it earlier. I was trying to find some tennis shoes to walk in though, so I didn't reply yet... Why?"

"She wants us all over for a pool party at her Ojii-san's."

"Who all's going?"

"Just the group. You, me, Zeme, Bunko, and Asuka."

Akihiko nodded, very well used to the idea of the five of them being a 'group'. "Yeah, alright. I'll text her back when I get off the phone with you. How did track practice go?"

She heard the girl move her phone around, adjusting it against her ear, "Good, I guess. Rei-kun joined the swim team."

"... I thought he was already on it?"

"He was just a trial member, I guess. I asked Makoto-kun about it."

There was a pause, and Lando hesitated, "Aki, you still there?"

"Nagisa lied to me! He said if I joined the team they'd have all their members, he didn't say anything about a _trail member!"_

Lando shrugged, snickering, "Well, it doesn't matter now."

"I guess."

The two stayed on the phone for a few more minutes before Kairi gave off a bark; Akihiko tugged at her leash again, though when it continued, she sighed and decided to humor her dog, glancing up.

And, just there, jogging twenty feet and growing ahead of her, was a certain sharp-toothed redhead.

She cut off Lando, who was currently discussing a topic Akihiko had already heard about - being on student council _did _have its perks, especially for a gossiper like her.

"Lando, I gotta go. I'll call you back when I get home, alright?"

The girl on the other line hesitated, before seemingly nodding, the phone rustling, "Well, alright. Bye, Aki. I love you!"

"I love you, too. Bye." Hanging up her phone, she slid it in the pockets in her jean, before taking a breath and beginning to jog herself, Kairi keeping up beside her. A moment later, and she was already out of breath, coming up behind the boy.

"Rin-kun!"

He hesitated and slowed down, before stopping when he saw how the girl panted, looking down at her as she planted her hands on her knees and attempting to regain her breath, Kairi's long tongue lolling out of her mouth.

"I'm... really out of shape." she said, and he was unsure if she was speaking to him or not, "Nagisa was right... I should of stayed on that diet..."

Appearing to of regained her breath, she stood, "Hey, Rin-kin." she smiled, and the boy hesitated.

"... Akihiko-chan?" he asked after a moment, looking at her eyes - after all, how many siblings could have eyes like _those?_

She smiled, though faltered, "... You didn't remember me?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes, beginning to walk again.

"Well, you have changed a lot since middle school, so yes, I didn't recognize you at first." he said, and he wasn't at all surprised when she started walking next to him, Kairi in-between them.

"I haven't changed _that _much." she objected, though she knew it herself to be a lie.

As a child, she'd been broad, built like a brick, a rectangle, though over time she'd developed the same shape her mother had - wide-hipped and busty, though she was sure if she had taken her diet seriously she would not be as abundant in any of those areas.

Rin scoffed, "If you say so." he said simply, and the girl's cheeks puffed out. She couldn't but to think if she were sweating her make up off - though she could feel no sweat - or if her hair was frizzing.

"Oh," she said after a moment of silence, drawing the boy's attention, "Um, sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I was just - I guess I was just a little offended you didn't remember me." She glanced at him, eyes closed behind those glasses as she smiled, eyeliner slightly smeared at the corners of her eyes, mascara-caked eyelashes batting against her glasses.

He hesitated, then shook his head, "No," he replied, "It's fine, I shouldn't of said anything." Though he didn't justify his actions, the girl still smiled and nodded, replying with her own, "It's fine."

The two relapsed back into silence once again, and when it was broken, it was by Rin, this time.

"Is this Hime?" he asked, glancing at the dog at this girl's side - as children, he remember there being a black dog at the Hazukis', a familiar house where plenty of parties were spent.

"Hmm?" her eyes followed his to look down at the oblivious dog, "Oh, no, this is Kairi." At the dog's name, brown eyes glanced up to her owner, tail wagging.

"Kairi?" he repeated, looking back up at Akihiko, and the girl nodded.

"Yeah, we got her right after you left for Australia, and the team broke up. Nagisa named her, sort of in memory of the team, I guess." she smiled at him, "But she likes me more. Hime's still Nagi's favorite."

She laughed, not minding the absence of his, and before they could fall back into another uncomfortable silence, Akihiko spoke.

"So, how's Samezuka, Rin-kun?"

"It's fine, Akihiko-chan."

She pursed her lips at him for a moment, before saying, "Oh, that's good. Why are you out walking, Rin-kun?"

"I was actually _jogging, _at first." he waved that off, "Training."

The girl nodded, and, if not for his jogging comment, she would of apologized and let him go on his way. A silence followed suit, Kairi's pants and occasional barks the only noises.

After a few moments of debating, the brunette girl blurted out, "I'm glad your back from Australia, Rin-kun."

He hesitated, turning back to the girl - he was slightly surprised, considering as a child he could remember only teasing her until she was reduced to tears, and then having to listen to Makoto's speech.

When he kept quiet, she continued, "It's nice to be able to see everyone again. I wish you were going to Iwatobi but - oh well, at least we get to talk, right?"

He blinked his eyes, before turning back to look in front of him, "Yeah," he said after a moment, "I guess," though that seemed to do more than settle the girl, who beamed at him.

"I've missed you."

At that, the boy stopped, and the girl hesitated before stopping as well, "Is something wrong, Rin-kun?"

He shook his head, "No, nothing." he said simply, before turning on his heel, "Come on, I'll walk you home."

She hesitated, turning round as well, tugging on Kairi's leash for her to follow. She opened her mouth to say a thank you, though the boy cut her off.

"Hey, Akihiko-chan." he said, and the girl caught up to stand beside him.

"Yeah, Rin-kun?"

"Wanna walk with me from now on?"

She hesitated, glancing over at him, though the boy ignored her, staring straight ahead.

She smiled, and nodded her head, "Yeah, Rin-kun; I'd like that."

* * *

Waving a quick goodbye to Rin, she watched the boy jog off before she stepped inside the house, unhooking Kairi's leash and letting the dog barrel through the house. She slid off her shoes, reaching for her phone, about to call a familiar number, when she stopped herself.

Rin hadn't _said _to keep this a secret...

Debating with herself, she finally sighed, sliding her phone back in her pocket - she wasn't sure what, the some part of their walk seemed secret.

_"Onee-chan! Kairi has my penguin again!"_

_"Coming, Nagisa!"_

* * *

**Here's the new chapter! :D Glad people like it! :3  
**

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long to post! D: But I'm really happy so many people are liking it so far! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Akihiko was seated on one of the pool's starting blocks, the number 'one' labeled on its front. Beside her, standing, was Gou, holding up a piece of paper as she spoke with the members of Iwatobi's swim team, Lando seated on the third starting block.

Akihiko had her hands folded in her lap, looking up at the boys as if she were paying attention as their manager spoke, though her mind wandered to other things; her solo ensemble music; if Kairi was chewing up anything at home; _I hope Kairi's not bothering Hime too much_; then, finally, her thoughts drifted to Rin. She wondered if he'd be waiting for a walk when she returned home - she hoped not, for she wasn't ready to explain anything to Nagisa or her team yet, unsure if associating with a rival team was taboo, or if Rin wanted his old friends to even know.

She herself was still on the subject of Rin when Haruka blurred past her - the noirette jumping into the water against Gou's protests, droplets springing into the air and falling on Akihiko, obscuring her glasses with a few spots and dampening her green jacket, clean now so she'd no longer have to borrow her brother's as she had to do for Samezuka's joint practice.

_"Could you listen to what I have to say first, Haruka-senpai?! Please, Haruka-senpai!"_

Akihiko hesitated, watching the boy's graceful moves underwater from behind droplets, before turning back to the boys and removing her glasses, looking down at them as she vigorously moved her sleeve along them. She glanced back up when she heard Rei speaking, squinting slightly to make out the bluenette's shape, him being just a blob to her without her glasses.

"Aki, you okay?"

Pink eyes blinked, and she slid on her glasses before she turned to look at Lando, who had moved over to the second starting block.

"What? Yeah, I'm, um... Fine. Just thinking." she replied, though she looked up at the sky in favor of turning to Lando, the Sun glinting off a mark she'd missed on her glasses.

"You've been really quiet all day."

"I have? Sorry... I'll tell you later, alright?" _There can't be any harm in telling her. Rin probably just... doesn't want Nagisa and everyone to know. Then they'd just want to question him, I guess..._

Lando nodded at her friend, even though she had already looked away from her, eyes going back to Haruka, leaving Lando to watch the boys.

* * *

Akihiko had long ago abandoned her jacket, dropping it off in the changing room, in her brother's locker. She wore a gray cami, which was splattered with water from where Nagisa had once splashed her, her sweatpants rolled up with her feet in the pool, seated on the concrete above. From both sides of her, Makoto and Nagisa surfaced, her brother hugging at his sister's legs while Makoto climbed out beside her.

"I-it's so c-cold...!" shivered Nagisa against her leg, clutching at Akihiko's legs for dear life; she felt herself slipping, and was about to cry out when Makoto caught her underneath her shoulders, pulling her up to her feet on the side of the pool. She gave a hurried thanks, as well as a small smile, helping her brother out of the water when he called for a hand.

"Rei-chan, you're still stretching?!" he yelled over to the bluenette beside the fence; Akihiko hesitated, glancing over to him, watching as Makoto and Nagisa walked over to him. She felt slightly self-conscious for a moment, no Lando there at the moment to distract her, considering the girl had ran off to the bathroom, and, after a moment, she too approached them, though was still very choice about her hearing. It wasn't until Rei had mentioned something of embarrassing himself again that she looked up from Makoto's back, watching the boy step onto the starting block. She hesitated, stepping closer to her brother, watching the bluenette prepare to jump; _His form is still really pretty._

She hesitated when she heard footsteps however, glancing away just as Rei jumped; she turned back at the splash, water droplets falling everywhere, and Lando gave a gasp, clutching her green jacket to her chest. They all stepped closer to the pool as Rei managed to break for air, Nagisa clasping his hands together behind his back.

_"I think you need to start by learning how to swim!"_

* * *

The day had not been a total failure - they had learned Rei had the ability to float, and Akihiko was reminded once again by watching Gou and Haruka talk out of the corner of her eye that she still had to ask someone why there was a sudden change in Rin's mood, too afraid to ask the shark-like boy herself. By the time she laid down in bed that night, hair still wet from her shower, leaning forward on her bed to plug in her phone to its charger, already having had her nightly hour-long talk with Lando on it, she was ready to pass out. She had practiced once she was home, skipping a walk with Kairi for that, and the black dog was currently curled up on her bed, in front of the window beside her mattress, Akihiko rolling around, curling against a stuffed dog, when there was a sound from outside her window.

She jumped at first at the sudden sound echoing throughout her once quiet room, and Kairi's head rose, a short bark leaving the dog. Akihiko reached a hand out, placing it atop the dog's head to calm her down, when the sound came again. This time Kairi jumped out, sniffing past the blinds and letting out one bark, then two, then three and four, until Akihiko had to lightly hit her upside her head so the dog wouldn't wake Nagisa.

"Calm down, Kairi, it's probably just the wind make a tree branch his the window..." she tried to comfort, though she jumped about three feet when the sound came again. Feeling for her glasses in the darkness, she knocked over a bottle of perfume before she grabbed them off her nightstand, fitting them on her face and she hesitantly pulled past blinds, prepared to meet Jeff the Killer on the branch of the tree outside her window. She blinked however when she saw nothing there, just leaves, and was prepared to settle back in bed with the thought of the if being a tree branch lodged in her mind when something hit the window once more, and she fell back in surprise, Kairi up and tail wagging. She sat up quickly, pushing aside the blinds again and glanced down at the yard; she blinked in surprise at the sight of Rin standing there, a hand wedged into the pocket of his jacket, while his other hand held another pebble, throwing it up to her window again and making her wince at the sound of the impact.

She unlocked her window, struggling to open it as Rin bent down to grab for another rock, his shape visible from the light on their back porch. _"Rin!" _she hissed, pushing Kairi back so the dog wouldn't jump from the two-story high window, _"Rin, what are you doing here?! It's-" _she glanced over her shoulder at her alarm clock, bright red numbers labeling it to be a little after eleven, _"- eleven at night!"_

The redhead hesitated at her, and stood up straight, shoving his other hand into his pocket, "Jesus, about time." he said simply, "Are you going to walk with me or not?"

She hesitated again, looking from the boy to her alarm clock, _"... Rin, seriously, do you have any idea what time it is-"_

"I'm waiting, Aki."

She blinked down at that commanding tone in shock, before giving a defeated sigh, muttering something she figured the boy couldn't hear about finding pants. She closed the window, making sure the blinds were blocking any view the boy had into her room before flicking on the light on her nightstand, crawling out of bed. She wore a black cami, though only had on underwear to cover her bottom half, unable to sleep with the feeling of clothe wound round her legs. She dug through a pile of clothes before deciding jeans were just too much of an effort at the moment, grabbing sweatpants that were labeled _Iwatobi _on the side of its left leg, pulling on mismatched socks before she slowly tiptoed downstairs - she past her brother's room, hearing the jingle of Hime's collar as the dog's head rose from Nagisa's bed, though after a quick, _'Shush!' _from Akihiko, the old dog settled down, seeing it was just her owner. Kairi followed after the brunette, tail swaying from side-to-side, though she ordered the dog to stay inside once she got to to sliding glass doors leading to their backyard. Pushing aside the curtains to those, she carefully slid out of the doors after slipping on moccasins, her dog whining for a moment before Akihiko ordered her to lay down from the other side of the door.

She sighed, turning round, rubbing her arms self-consciously as she turned round, seeing Rin there, still waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he walked through the yard.

She hesitated, "Rin - how did you get in my backyard?" she asked, and the boy gave a shrug.

"I jumped your fence."

_"Rin!" _

"Calm down, sheesh. There's no other way back here besides going through your house, and I wasn't going to deal with Hime."

She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Well, come on, I'll take you back through the house so maybe then Kairi can at least meet you-"

Rin appeared to have no interest in meeting Kairi however, hauling himself over the fence once again before the girl was done talking. She panicked for a moment, opening the sliding door once again and pushing Kairi back, locking the glass doors behind her and hastily pulling the curtain back before walking to the front door, sliding around on her moccasins. She told Kairi to be good and quiet once more, and to keep watch on the house while she was gone, opening the door quickly and walking out. Rin stood there on the porch, beginning to walk down the steps once he saw she was there.

She gave a sigh, walking faster than him for a few paces before she caught up with him. "Is this going to be an everyday thing?" she said this as a joke, though when the boy nodded his head she hesitated, glancing over at him.

"What is it?" he asked once he noticed her eyes on him, and she sighed once more.

"Why so late?" she asked, and the boy shrugged.

"I feel like walking around this time." he responded with, and the girl nodded.

"... I most likely won't be able to do this once my mom comes back, Rin." she said, and he nodded, glancing over at her.

"I figured. Where is your mom?"

"She's still working over at the old hospital. She's staying at the old house now while they transfer everything over to the hospital in town. You know which one I'm talking about, right?" she asked, and Rin nodded - she noticed he however did not move to the subject of her father, and she was glad for that.

Rin gave a shrug as they continued on walking, a nonchalant remark, "I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind all that much if she knew you were walking with _me_, Aki. She did always like me the best."

Akihiko chuckled, rolling her eyes, "I know she did, though I'm not exactly sure why." she said, turning to look at the boy as they walked, "It's because you're both jerks."

It was Rin's turn to roll his eyes, "We weren't _jerks, _we were just really _blunt._" he said, and Akihiko laughed, causing the boy to turn to look at her, only to laugh as well.

"Aki - your _hair..._"

At that, the girl's laughter stopped, though Rin continued, little jerk-ish snickers. Akihiko's hands went up to her hair, then suddenly she swatted at Rin's shoulder, with a hiss of, _"Don't talk about it!"_

Rin gave an 'Ow!' at her swat, though it was more out of instinct then pain, and he rolled his eyes, though still chuckled, "Your hair most definitely was _not _like that when we were younger, or was it like that the last two times I've seen you, I would remember if it looked like _that_."

She attempted to pat down wild, wavy hair, that poofed up without being tamed down by a straightener. "It didn't get like this until eighth grade!" she cried, before swatting at his shoulder again, "It's called s_traightening_, stupid!"

Rin however kept laughing, doing no good to soothe the girl, who continued running her hand along her hair as if _that _would calm down the lion's mane.

* * *

**Once again, I'm sorry this took so long; I was just trying to finish up the last few chapters of my Sekaiichi Hatsukoi fic!**

**I'm really happy so many people like this, but, in all honesty, I don't understand. I guess I should just be happy, oh well~!**

**Yuki-chi-chan: Aww, thanks! :3**

** .Kittys: I'm glad you like Lando! :D And I tried to make Rin not all douchebaggy~ :3**

**Lord Nebula: Ah, thanks! :D I look forward to writing it! :3**

**Hope everybody likes the new chapter! :D How about some reviews?! :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! :D So, I go back to school on Tuesday - I'm going to try to get out a chapter today and tomorrow, so let's see how that works out! I'll be trying to get out a chapter at least every week when school starts back up~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

The next morning, Akihiko woke sluggish and yawning bigger then any other day - she hadn't returned home last night until a little after midnight, and had ended up staying awake till two in the morning, all bubbly and excited inside for whatever reason. Straightening her hair, she'd burnt herself _twice, _dropped her iPod _three _times (luckily the thing seemed indestructible though, for she was able to pick it up with no scratches present), and jabbed herself in the eye _once _with her mascara wand (ending with her pressing a shaking palm to her eye, worried she'd gone blind). It hadn't helped to of been dragged by Nagisa into Makoto's and Haruka's classroom, Lando following behind them, Nagisa's other hand clutching onto Rei's wrist so as the boy couldn't run free.

"Haru-chan, Mako-chan, look at this!" cried Nagisa as he barreled into the classroom - Akihiko and Rei were dragged behind him, stumbling into each other.

He slapped a magazine down on their desk, with a cheer of, _"Ta-da~!" _as he dropped his sister's and Rei's wrists, Lando arriving behind them. Akihiko hesitated and moved beside her brother, looking down at the page he'd opened the catalog to.

"Uniforms...?" she asked, walking round the desk to Haruka, allowing her a better look at the designs.

"Yeah!" nodded Nagisa, "We have a swim club now, so we should get matching uniforms!"

Makoto smiled, nodding his head as well, "That's a good idea." he said, and Lando moved to the other side of Haruka to examine the magazine, "It'll give the club more of an official feel."

Nagisa nodded, bending down to the desk, "I know, right?" he said, his tone say, _'Look at me, I'm such a genius!' _as he pointed down to a certain design, "I think we should get this design, with this color! We can even use an image in addition to the school emblem."

Rei hesitated from behind Nagisa, holding out a hand to him, "Are you thinking about putting Iwatobi-chan on there...?"

Nagisa turned round, blinking up at the bluenette. "That was the plan."

Rei's hand flew to his glasses, "But it's not beautiful..."

Akihiko turned to Makoto as the boy began speaking, listening to him. "I think Samezuka's design incorporates a shark and a katana." Did it? She wasn't sure - she'd have to look tonight when he came for their walk she figured they'd have.

Nagisa turned back from Rei, "Theirs is really cool! We could put a real rockhopper penguin on ours, then."

Akihiko blinked at her younger brother, tears collecting in the corners, still irritated from mascara, "That's not really intimidating..."

"We don't need intimidating!" objected Nagisa, "Right, Haru-chan?"

Akihiko and Lando both blinked, turning back to the noirette between them - he however did not respond, turning round his sketchbook to his team; they all blinked and leaned in, the 3d Iwatobi-chan figure on display.

"That's really good, Haruka..." muttered Akihiko, and from beside her Rei mumbled, _"B-beautiful..."_

* * *

_"So Rei still doesn't know how to swim."_

Akihiko nodded to herself, turning on the stove - it wasn't often that she'd cook, though she was afraid the take-out place Nagisa normally stopped at on his way home would be closed, considering how late it was.

"Really? That's too bad. His form is so good, though! I wonder what it is..." she said, placing the pan on the burner, waiting for the water to boil, "Hmm... I feel bad I can't watch them practice."

"It's fine. Nagisa told them you're practicing for solo ensemble - they understand. Besides, they have me!"

Akihiko smiled, leaning her back against the kitchen counter, eyes glancing out to the backyard, curtains pulled back so she could see Kairi and Hime sniffing around the same spot Rin had stood the night before, "I know, Lando. Huh... I have practice tomorrow. I could probably make it the day after... and then right after that we could head to Suzeme's... hmm..."

"Yeah, and then we could just spend the night there and get ready for the pool party there!" Lando agreed on the other line, "Hey, what are you wearing for a swimsuit?"

Akihiko shrugged, going to the glass doors, letting her dog's in - Kairi waited at the door for the older dog, jumping atop her when Hime padded inside. "I was planning on just, like, a cami and some shorts. I don't own a swimsuit." she said, her eyes glancing around the backyard, as if Rin would be there at the moment - she made a mental note to get his phone number before she closed the sliding doors, locking them, heading back into the kitchen. She opened up a package of ramen - Nagisa could live with this, she supposed.

"I was thinking the same." replied Lando, and Akihiko heard yelling in the background - Lando gave an aggrevated sigh, followed by, _"JUST A SECOND, GRANDMA! _I gotta go, Aki, see what the crazy hag wants. Bye, love you!"

Akihiko smiled, nodding, "Be nice to Grandma. Bye, Lando, love you too."

The two hung up - Akihiko pulled her phone away, wiping it along her sweatpants before sitting it down on the counter - one hand reached for a fork, while the other scrolled through apps on her phone to find her music. Hime walked into the kitchen, nails clacking against the tiles, settling on laying down to guard her food dish - Kairi bounded over to hers on the opposite side of the kitchen before going over to sit beside Akihiko at the stove, chocolate eyes begging for food.

Picking a song, she grimaced at the sad sound her phone emitted, before switching to another, much more upbeat tune. She saw a text from Lando pop up - _'She just wanted me to get the remote! IT WAS RIGHT BESIDE HER. _- though decided to reply another time, fork moving the ramen around.

"Kairi - give me a minute, alright? It's still hot." she muttered, hips swaying slightly with the beat of her music - she gave a wary glance out the glass windows, half expecting to see Rin there, and she gave a sigh when he wasn't.

_Am I... disappointed? Nah... He'll be here tonight, anyway, he told you that, Aki... _She rolled her eyes at herself, hearing the front door open, and called out to her little brother.

"Nagi? How was practice?" she asked, hearing the boy kick off his shoes - she heard him walking across their living room and into the kitchen, his elbows leaning on the marble island as they always did.

"Good, onee-chan!" he said, sliding atop a bar stool at the island, watching his sister's back. She nodded, sitting the fork down and opening a cupboard to retrieve two bowls, "How about yours?"

"Good - Kuhn-sensei still wants me to work on my triplets, but - you don't know what that is anyway." Once again, she rolled her eyes at herself, "I figured the Chinese place you normally stop at would be closed, so - I just made ramen."

Nagisa nodded his head, "It was closed, but - _ramen_?"

"You know I can't cook, Nagi."

Nagisa's cheeks puffed out, though he nodded, excepting the bowl that was handed his way. Akihiko placed her own bowl at the island, forking out a noodle - she threw it up in the air, Kairi hopping it up and catching it.

Nagisa hesitated, "Uwah - don't do that, onee-chan! You have to give one too Hime-chan, too!" the boy did the same for the older dog, though she watched it fall to the floor before leaning down and eating it.

Akihiko smiled, taking her own seat at the island - she reached for her phone, stopping her music and deciding to reply to Lando now.

"Are you going to watch us practice tomorrow, onee-chan?" asked Nagisa through a mouth full of ramen - his sister sighed at him, though didn't bother scolding him.

"I have to practice tomorrow - but the day after that, I'll be there." she said, and Nagisa nodded, swallowing.

"Good! Mm.. I hope Mom can make it home for the tournament." he said, halfway through his sentence shoveling another forkful of ramen in his mouth.

Akihiko smiled and nodded, twirling he own round her fork, "I'm sure she will, Nagi. She always liked watching you guys swim, and-" _And I'm sure she'd like to see Rin again._

Nagisa blinked at his sister hesitantly, waiting for her to continue, "Hmm? And what, onee-chan?"

She hesitated, glancing at him, before laughing, "Oh - and I'm sure she'd like to throw you guys parties, like she did when we were all kids..."

Nagisa's face brightened, nodding quickly, "Yeah - that'd be nice, wouldn't, onee-chan!"

She laughed, nodding her head, "I'm sure it would, Nagi."

The boy continued to ramble on about the party, though was cut off by Kairi - the dog gave a bark, running over to the glass window. She pushed aside the curtains, jumping up, still barking, which eventually drew Hime's attention.

Akihiko hesitated, "Kairi, Hime, come here!" she ordered, though the two did not relent - she sighed, deciding to humor the dogs, going over and pulling open the curtain - she started at the sight of the redhead however, standing out and waiting for her.

"Onee-chan, is everything alright?"

She panicked, closing the curtains slightly, to hide the outside world from her brother, "What?! Um - yeah, Nagi, everything's fine! Just a stray-" _Shark. _"- _cat! _I'm gonna make it leave, so Hime and Kairi don't get it, alright?!"

She did not wait for a response, sliding the door open - she pushed back Hime and Kairi with her leg, shutting the door swiftly behind her.

"Rin, what are you doing here?"

He however did not reply, glancing the girl over, "Is that all you own?" he asked, pointing to her choice of clothes, "Tank-tops and sweatpants?"

Her cheeks heated up, _"No_, this is what I wear around the house! If I'd expected you, I might of-"

"Whatever. At least your hair doesn't look like it did last night."

Her hands flew up to her brown locks, straightened, her make-up still done from the school day. "I haven't taken a shower yet." she said simply, then shook her head, "Wait, _no_, that's not the point. Why are you here? It's only - what? - eight, nine o'clock? I thought you'd be coming around eleven?"

He shrugged, "I was out - I figured now would be an alright time to stop by."

"You mean to jump my fence. The neighbors are going to call the cops, Rin."

He rolled his eyes, paying the girl's warning no mind, "Whatever. It'll be eleven from now on."

She puffed out her cheeks, slightly annoyed he was making a schedule without confronting her first. "If you say so." she said simply, placing her hands to her hips, "But, still - Nagisa's home, awake! What if he saw you?"

The boy blinked at that, and, for a moment, she thought he appeared offended, "He can't see us...?"

She shook her head, huffing a sigh, "I just figured you didn't want to be interrogated by him, but fine then-"

"Oh, wait - _No. _You're right, Aki. I don't."

"Alright then."

There was a silence, broken by Rin.

"Well, then? Are we going for a walk?"

She blinked, "But, Rin-"

"Come on, Aki."

She hesitated, watching the boy walk over to her fence - she briefly wondered if all their encounters would be like this, her tailing after him. _"Fine, fine! Give me a minute - I'm coming." _she scoffed, walking back to her doors as Rin jumped the fence - she pushed her dogs back once again, heading into the kitchen to grab her phone.

"I'm going out for a walk, alright, Nagi? You can leave your bowl out - I take care of it when I come back, okay?"

He hesitated, before nodding to her, "What? Well, alright, Aki - where are you going, though?"

Though by then she had already made it out the living room and out the door, waving goodbye to him.

* * *

"You should give me your phone number."

Rin had hesitated at that, glancing over at the girl who was wearing his Samezuka jacket - she'd complained once of how it was cold, and he figured he should let her borrow it for the walk. She had been awfully good at complaining until she got what she wanted as a child, and he didn't want to see how she'd improved at that.

"What? Why?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Well, I figured in case you showed up early for a walk like you had today, you could text me first, so you could see I own something besides tank-tops and sweatpants." she said, and Rin was unsure if he was supposed to take it as the innuendo he did. "Or if something happens and I'm too busy to walk with you."

Rin rolled his eyes at the _too busy _comment, though had simply nodded in response. She pulled out her phone from the pocket of his jacket, and he held his hand out for it.

She hesitated, glancing up at him, and he sighed, "Let me see your phone." he ordered.

"What, why? I'll just put your number in." she defended, and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not stupid, you're going to put in some dumb nickname." he said, and at that she rolled her eyes, handing him her phone. _I'll just fix it later, stupid._

He took her phone, unlocking it, though hesitated at the numbers he was phased with. "... What's your lock code?" he asked, and she hesitated, blinking.

"Oh - sorry. Umm..." she shrugged, seeing no harm in giving it to him - it wasn't as if he were Nagisa or Lando, who would put numerous statuses on her Facebook if given the chance, "Zero eight, zero one." she said, and Rin nodded, typing it in before glancing up at her expectantly.

She hesitated, "Oh - that's Nagisa's birthday." she informed, and Rin was unsure if he should think it were cute or awkward for her to make her passcode her brother's birthday in stead of her own.

Typing in his number, he handed her phone back to her - her lips pursed at the contact name, a simple _Rin _labeling him. _No fun._

She noticed a new message from Lando, and quickly locked her phone once again, feeling guilty for putting Rin ahead of her friend, though couldn't help it - she didn't want Rin to get suspicious, thinking perhaps she were telling others of their walks. And she hadn't - well, _yet, _that was.

"Oh - I forgot to check!" she suddenly exclaimed, and Rin hesitated, blinking over at her.

"What?" he asked, watching the girl lift up his jacket's collar - he thought for a moment she'd already somehow gotten something on it, then saw she was just examining the emblem of Samezuka.

She glanced at Rin, smiling at him, "A shark and a katana." she observed. _Makoto was right. _

Rin hesitated, nodding, "What? Oh, yeah." he agreed, nodding his head at her.

"Iwatobi-chan's cute, but the shark's cool - and makes a lot more sense for a swim team..." she shrugged, before slowly pulling the jacket off - when at first he'd offered it to her, she was afraid it'd be too small to fit, though Rin's burliness made up for her curvy-ness. "Thanks, Rin." she said, smiling as she handed it back.

She was thinking how much she liked the smell of the boy's cologne - mixed with a hint of chlorine - lingering on her tank-top, and Rin was thinking how he liked the smell of peach she left on his jacket.

* * *

Akihiko pulled at the panda casing of her phone, plugging it in beside her bed - her hands were still damp from doing the dishes, though her hair dry, settling on the thought of taking a shower in the morning. She held the phone to her chest as she settled into her bed, Kairi doing the same, pacing back and forth before finally curling up in a ball. She'd replied to all of Lando's texts and changed Rin's name in her phone to _'Daddy Shark' _- she remembered it from a chant/song she'd heard as a child, and could not think of a better name to fit the redhead.

_Rin...?_

She texted, pulling off her glasses and sitting them down on her bedside table as she flicked off her lamp - the boy replied three minutes later, and she felt a mixture of guilt and happiness, remembering how he never answered any of the boy's messages.

_'What?' _he replied, and she smiled, basically able to hear his annoyed tone.

_Goodnight._

* * *

**Does anyone know what that little song/chant thing is? Where you go, "Bady shark," and like clap your hands together as you sing, and it keeps getting bigger as you go, "Mama Shark," and, "Daddy Shark"?**

**... No?**

**That's okay.**

**Let me remind you that I'm only on episode four still in this. What.**

**HokiYuuki: Awh, thanks! :3 And I'm sure yours will be fine once you start it xD**

**Doieversleep: Uwah, right?! :D**

** .Kittys: Jeff the Killer scares me, though Slender Man scares me more! ;w; And thanks! :3**

**vivvy09: Thanks~! :3**

**I'm really happy so many people like this! :D I was really unsure starting this, but I'm actually having a lot of fun, and have a lot planned for this! :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay~ Here's the last chapter before I go back to school tomorrow! Also: I didn't actually use the episode for reference like I had for the last chapters, so if it doesn't follow the anime word-for-word or is just all together wrong, I'm sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

It of course rained the day Akihiko was planning to watch her team swim. She appreciated this, however - she returned to the Band room to practice, deciding the next day would be a good of day as any to watch them swim.

Nope.

Rei had looked particularly smug when he said he thought it must be his speedo that was the issue - Lando had given a mutter of, _'Really? Because I think that speedo is doing wonders for you.' _- and when the idea of going shopping for swimsuits was brought up, Lando had perked up, mentioning to Akihiko how they could buy a swimsuit for Suzeme's and then go straight to the girl's house.

She supposed this was a good idea, but here she was looking through racks of swimsuits, the boys beside her. Her camouflaged bag hung across her body, resting against her hip as she pushed aside smaller sizes of the one-piece she'd found. Giving a defeated sigh, she let them all swing back into place on their rack, a frown on her face. The sleeve of the long sleeved mint green shirt she wore slid down off her shoulder as she folded her arms across her chest in a pouting way, abandoning the boys as she headed over to Lando, who was also looking through swimsuits.

"They don't have any in our size." complained the girl, pink eyes blinking at her friend.

"This is bullshit!" snapped Lando, letting the suits fall back into place, "This is some skinny person store!"

Akihiko sighed, hearing her phone ding in her pocket of her jeans - she ignored it for the moment however, worried about other things, "I found one that would fit everywhere besides-"

"Besides our boobs!" snapped Lando, and Akihiko hesitated, holding her hands out to calm her friend down, "Big girls don't swim? I don't get it!"

Akihiko sighed, "I guess we'll be fine without one..."

Lando shook her head, "I was excited about this! What the hell?!"

Akihiko shrugged, "Come on... Let's go back to the boys." said the girl, already turning away from the swimsuits to head to the changing room, though by then they were already looking at more, and Gou - _Kou _- had disappeared from the bench she'd sat at. Haruka however was still missing, though, she noticed as she walked over to the other boys, still looking at swimsuits.

"You two didn't find a swimsuit?" asked Makoto as he saw them approaching. Lando shook her head, still annoyed while Akihiko just appeared disappointed.

"Awh, that's too bad, onee-chan!" said Nagisa, and his sister gave a shrug, before she turned to the swimsuits.

"What about you boys? Have you found anything yet?" she asked, brushing her hand along the fabric of the swimsuits in front of her; Makoto shrugged.

"I think Haruka found something, but I'm not sure. He's been in the changing room for a long time now..."

Akihiko hesitated and then nodded, "Oh... He has?" she asked, turning back to the boy - she hesitated as her phone dinged again with a reminder of the text message she'd gotten earlier, and gave an annoyed sigh as Makoto rose an eyebrow. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she hesitated at the name _Daddy Shark_, slightly surprised Rin would ever text her first, and typed in her passcode of Nagisa's birthday to look at whatever had been important enough for the boy to message her.

_'So you do own jeans. whatre you doing here? turn around. Im about to go in the changing room. wanna join?'_

At first she had glanced over her shoulder, then realized the message had been sent over ten minutes ago - she then rolled her eyes at his offer, hesitating at _changing room._

She glanced up at the olive-haired by beside her, and blinked, "Hey, Mako-kun?" she asked, and they boy hesitated, glancing down at her.

"Ano - yes, Aki-chan? Is everything alright?"

She heard Lando and Nagisa bickering from behind her, though paid it no mind for once.

"Can I... um... talk to you?"

Makoto hesitated, before nodding his head, "Hmm? Of course you can, Aki-chan." said the boy, and she nodded, beginning to walk away. After a moment he followed after her, in-between rows of swim-gear.

"So... What happened between Rin and Haru?"

Makoto blinked at this, watching the girl stop at a certain rack she had not already gone through, moving aside swimsuits - he should of figured she'd noticed, he assumed, she was always very good at observing. "Haha... You've noticed? I shouldn't be surprised." Makoto smiled, before turning as well, going through swimsuits, "One time, when Rin came to visit from Australia, he challenged Haru-chan to a race, and, well... Haruka won. Naturally, Rin was upset, considering he'd gone to a swimming school..."

Akihiko hesitated, glancing up at Makoto, her hands pausing in the swimsuits. _That was it?... _"It must just be because I'm not into sports, that I don't understand..." she chuckled, turning back to the suits, and Makoto chuckled as well.

"Don't worry about it, Aki-chan." said the boy, reaching back and pulling two swimsuits from the very back of the row, "Here - why don't you and Lando-chan try these on?"

She hesitated, turning back to him, "Ano - what, Mako-kun?" she asked, and he smiled, handing them to her.

"Go ahead, Aki-chan. Just let me and Nagisa-kun look for swimsuits for you two, alright? Go try them on."

She hesitated as they were pushed into her arms, excepting them slowly, "Umm - alright. Thank you, Mako-kun."

The olive-haired boy nodded with a smile, and she headed off to find Lando with the swimsuits in hand.

* * *

She was surprised Makoto's choice of swimwear had fit both her and Lando, and they'd both left the store with swimsuits in hand. She told Nagisa she was just heading over to Suzeme's to spend the night - she did not mention that there was a pool involved, afraid he would want to come. At Suzeme's grandpa's house, the girl's grandmother had shown them where to get changed, and they walked through the girl's grandparents' house to the back room, where her indoor pool was held.

Suzeme was a girl with blackish-brownish hair that reached her chin, her eyes a shocking blue - perhaps, if a shade or two darker, they would be the same lovely color as Haruka's. She was a few sizes thinner than Lando and Akihiko, able to pull off the bikini she was wearing with no shame.

Bunko was a girl with a thin build, though still with enough pudge not to considered skinny. She had wavy, dirty blonde hair that frizzed whenever she got stressed, her eyes green and her cheeks freckled.

Asuka was wide-hipped, slightly bigger than Lando and Akihiko's size, though did not have their bust. She had long brown hair, that curled only at her bangs, and brown eyes to match.

Akihiko and Lando walked out together, phones held in their hands - Akihiko was currently texting Rin to warn him she would not be there for their nightly walk, forgetting to do so earlier. Lando wore a one-piece, while Akihiko's was a tankini - she thought this to be a joke about how she only owned tank-tops, then remembered it was Makoto, not _Rin. _Asuka glanced up from the pool when she heard the sliding doors open, Suzeme wading around the pool with the help of an alligator floating chair.

"I see your little shit of a brother didn't follow you." said Asuka, and Akihiko laughed - Asuka wasn't very fond of the blonde boy, after all the pranks he'd played on her.

Suzeme fell off her alligator, swimming to the edge of the pool, "What took you guys so long?" she asked, smiling at them to expose her braces.

"Sorry - the boys wanted to go look for swimsuits, so we went with." Akihiko said - unlike Lando, who just cannon-balled in, sending water flying, the pink-eyed girl checked her phone one last time for a text message from Rin before taking off her glasses, sitting her phone and glasses down, picking up the ones Lando had thrown. She removed the class ring she wore, a white gold with engravings of a clarinet and a diamond gem, unclasping her necklace and arranging them on the table as well before she headed over to the stairs of the pool, walking down them.

Bunko called out from the other side of the pool, "I heard about that, Aki - you joined the swim team! Why? You don't do sports." she kicked off the wall of the pool, swimming over to her friend as Lando surfaced.

"She's not actually swimming." answered Lando, ""Her brother just kept begging her to join since they needed a secretary."

Akihiko nodded, "Yup - so here I am, part of Iwatobi's Swim Club."

The girls laughed, echoing off the walls of the building.

"Aki," said Asuka from her chair she sat at beside the pool, "someone texted you."

She blinked back at the blue that was Asuka, "Oh - who? Read it for me?"

The girl nodded, unlocking her phone - her group of friends knew her password, all keeping it a secret from her brother, though Akihiko had to keep an eye on Lando when she took her phone.

Asuka hesitated, laughing at the name. "_Daddy Shark? Who's that?"_

Akihiko hesitated, panicking for a moment, walking back up the stairs to the pool - though Suzeme had already hauled herself up the concrete, heading over to Asuka.

_"What's _his name?" asked the girl, laughing - Suzeme rarely truly judged someone, her voice always a teasing or mocking tone, "Oh my god - it really is _Daddy Shark_!"

Suzeme laughed as Lando also climbed out of the pool, Bunko following after her. Akihiko stopping beside them, not bothering to dry her hands as she took the phone from Asuka's hands.

_'that's fine. text me tomorrow. goodnight, aki.'_

She typed a hurried reply of, _'It's only eight, are you going to sleep?' _hoping autocorrect would do the work for her as she locked her phone, sitting it down, "It's Rin," she said quickly, turning back towards her friends, "From another swim team - he used to swim with my brother."

Lando hesitated at that, "Him? That _dick_? Why are you talking to him?"

She shrugged, "I ran into him when I was walking Kairi the other day, and we've been walking together for the past few days. Sorry - I meant to say something! Just... Don't tell Nagisa, or anyone, alright? He doesn't want to get interrogated by Nagi, you guys know how he is..."

Suzeme laughed, "Still - what's up with the name, Aki?"

Lando answered for her, "His teeth are pointed - like a shark's."

"What about the '_Daddy' _part?" asked Asuka, with a mischievous glance to her eyes that made Akihiko flush.

"D-don't you guys know that song?..." amended Akihiko quickly, and they hesitated, "You know... _Baby Shark...?"_

They all laughed, and Akihiko herself gave a chuckle, hearing her phone go off again. She reached behind her, just as Lando and Suzeme headed back to the pool.

_'no, I just forgot to say it back last night.'_

She hesitated and smiled at that, hearing Lando call her name.

"Aki, come on, we're all going to jump in!"

The girl nodded, sitting her phone down, settling with replying another time. She walked over to the rest of her friends, grabbing hands with Lando and Bunko, Suzeme and Asuka locking hands on the other side.

"Ready?"

"On the count of three!"

"One..."

"Two..."

_"Three!"_

And, with that, the five girls all jumped into the pool together.

* * *

**I started writing notes for this because I have a lot planned and I know I'll forget otherwise.**

**So! I've decided I'm going to be lazy and just go off what I remember, in stead of rewatching the episode six times before I write a chapter! Next is solo ensemble & the Training Camp from Hell!**

**vivvy09: Awh, thanks! :3**

**HokiYuuki: xD Thanks, I'm glad you like it! :3**

**Review, my lovely readers? :3**


	7. Chapter 7

**Spoilers: EPISODE 9 OH MY GOD. Rin oh my god baby. I had to pause it when he went to their old school and call one of my friends so I wouldn't cry. BABY DON'T CRY I KNOW WE HAVE OUR UPS AND DOWNS BUT I LOVE YOUUUU!**

**okay okay I'm done. I still need to watch the rest of the episode.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Akihiko woke up to a text from Rin - she'd fallen asleep texting the boy - and a call from Nagisa. The first she dealt with was her younger brother, answering her phone, pressing it against her ear with a mumbled, "Hello...?"

"Onee-chan!" her brother cried, and she cringed at his voice, sitting up in Suzeme's bed, Lando's leg jabbing into her stomach.

"Good morning, Nagi... Is something wrong?" she asked, fishing for her glasses on the floor beside the bed - she grabbed Lando's and threw them at the girl before finding her own.

"No, Onee-chan, just wanted to tell you what happened at practice!"

"Oh, alright..." she stood from the bed after adjusting her glasses, Lando rolling around at the foot of the bed - Asuka had been laying beside Akihiko, the three girls overtaking the bed while Suzeme and Bunko settled for the floor.

"Rei-chan learned how to swim!"

"Oh, did he? That's good, Nagi." she grabbed her purple brush from her bag, straightening out the boxer shorts she wore and pulling up her cami so her bra was no longer visible, sniffling.

"Yeah, Onee-chan! He can only swim butterfly, though."

"Well, I guess that's a good place to start." replied Akihiko, placing a hand on the wall to brace herself as she wobbled down Suzeme's narrow staircase - the girl's grandmother and grandfather were already out for the day, she could only assume, when she saw no cars in the driveway once on the bottom floor.

"Yeah, you're right, Onee-chan!"

"So how was Kairi last night? Was she good?" asked the girl as she walked through the house - she dared a look into their kitchen at the microwave, grimacing at the time reading _1:46. _They'd slept that long?... The five girls had stayed up the previous night until six in the morning came along, gossiping and complaining, Netflix on a loop of all episodes of Bob's Burgers until they'd collapsed onto either the floor or the bed.

She'd have to wake up the others when she got back upstairs.

"She was great, Onee-chan! Hime-chan kept her in her place!"

Akihiko nodded at that, smiling to herself, pushing the door to the bathroom open with her other hand, "That's good, Nagi. Hey, I'll talk to you later, alright? I have to-"

"Wait, that's not why I called you, Onee-chan!"

She hesitated, pausing in her steps before continuing on her way into the bathroom, flicking the light on and wincing at her bedhead, which still smelled of chlorine. "Oh. Then what is it, Nagi!"

"Gou-chan found us this really cool training routine, Onee-chan! Next weekend we're going to go to some deserted islands and swim around at them!"

She hesitated once again. _Next weekend? But... _"I have solo ensemble next weekend, Nagi." she replied, and the boy let out a gasp.

_"Whaattt? _I forgot all about that, Onee-chan!"

She chuckled, shaking her head though he could not see her, holding her phone against her ear with her shoulder as she pulled the brush through her hair roughly. "No - it's fine, Nagi. I don't mind going to it alone, I'll have Bunko there with me and Allen is going, too. And I'm sure Lando can go with you and the team-"

"But I wanted _you _to come, Onee-chan!"

She paused at that, the brush left hanging in her hair as she held her phone up with her hands, "I - Oh. I'm sorry, Nagi... After solo ensemble ends though I'll be able to come to all of your practices, and you know I'll make it to your competition. Don't worry, Nagi-"

"Awh, alright, Onee-chan!"

She sighed at that, though glad he was able to bounce back so quickly, beginning to yank her brush through her hair once again, "Is that everything, Nagi?"

"Yeah, Onee-chan~"

"Alright. I'll talk to you later then, okay? I have to go wake up everyone else. Love you, Nagi."

"Love you too, Onee-chan! Buh-bye~!"

She smiled and hung up, wiping her phone down before sliding open her text from Rin, giving a glance up to herself in the mirror, blowing greasy bangs from her eyes with an aggravated huff before looking back down.

_'Sorry, I kept you up really late, didn't I? Sorry...'_

She hesitated at the text before just shrugging her shoulders, sending it and heading back upstairs with phone and brush in hands.

Once back upstairs, she poked Suzeme in her side with her foot until the girl rolled over with a high-pitched groan, waking Bunko. Asuka was woken up by Lando rolling atop her, having the help of Akihiko to push her back off. As she was dropping her brush off back at her bag, her phone dinged with a text, and she saw _'Daddy Shark' _flashing at her as she typed in Nagisa's birthday.

_'it's fine. you just now waking up?'_

She walked over to the bed as she typed, sitting down at the foot. _'Yeah. How long have you been up? Do you have practice today?'_

Lando leaned over her friend's shoulder, "Who ya' texting?" she singsonged, and Suzeme plopped down onto the bed as Asuka sat up, Bunko still rolling around on the floor.

"Rin." replied Akihiko, leaning back against Lando, and the girl smiled.

"Awwww, does Aki have a _cruuussshhhh?" _Lando nudged Akihiko with her shoulder, earning an eye-roll from the brunette.

Suzeme made herself heard from behind them, turning her head so her voice wouldn't be muffled by her pillow, "Seriously, though, how long has it been since she's had a boyfriend? Two years? Three years?"

"It was in eighth grade." responded Akihiko quickly.

"Four years." Lando said, and Suzeme laughed.

"She's so _alone."_

Akihiko rolled her eyes, ignoring her phone's dings for a moment, "Takaou was a douche, anyway. I would rather not even count him."

"How long were you guys even together?" asked Bunko from her spot on the floor, slowly standing with a crack from her spine.

"We got together in seventh grade and broke up, what, like a month or two later? 'Cause he didn't want to kiss me. And in eighth grade we got back together and dated for like a week before he wanted to see me naked - now, something is obviously fucked up there." snapped Akihiko, hands moving as she spoke to emphasize.

"And that was her first and last boyfriend." concluded Lando with a snicker, and Akihiko once again rolled her eyes, unlocking her phone as she replied.

"After having to deal with him I don't think I want another." she said simply.

_'already had practice.'_

She hesitated at that, typing a quick response with a scolding tone in mind - _'If I'd known you'd have practice this morning I wouldn't of kept you up so late!' - _listening to Lando speak behind her.

"Yeah, but think of it, if a guy messed with you this year, you wouldn't just have Daichi, Hisao, and Isao, you'd have the swim team, too."

Suzeme laughed again, "Yeah, what was it you did in eighth grade? Paid them to throw snowballs at Takaou?"

Akihiko nodded, grip tightening on her phone, "He deserved it." she said simply, earning another nudge from Lando.

"They would of done it even if you hadn't paid them. The little prick _did _deserve it."

Suzeme nodded, "He, what, waited like a day before he asked out Kiyoko?"

Her phone dinged once again, a reminder of her text as she nodded, "Yeah. And that's why that bitch isn't in the group anymore." she scoffed, running a hand through her hair, pushing her bangs back, "Tries to say we're still _friends _- ugh! It just... it still pisses me off." She gave a shiver as if to rid herself of her thoughts before looking at her text from Rin.

_'I didnt mind, it's fine.'_

_'You sure?"_

"Well at least we know not to piss Aki off when there's snow on the ground." joked Suzeme, and they all laughed, Akihiko with a shrug.

"Well, he deserved it!" she repeated, smiling as she felt her phone vibrate in her hands, answering it as the others laughed.

_'yes, i'm sure. are you going to walk tonight?'_

"You should go with him!"

Akihiko hesitated at that, glancing over her shoulder to see Lando staring down at her, hands braced against her knees. "... What?"

"Ask him out, Aki!"

She blinked at that and rolled her eyes, Lando leaning closer to her. "I'm not going to ask him out, Lando. I haven't even been talking to him for a month-"

"So?! You didn't talk to Takaou for that long before you dated him!"

"And that should be a good enough reason why I have to talk to Rin longer before I even _think _about asking him out. Besides, I knew Takaou since fifth grade-"

"And you've known Rin since you were what, eleven, twelve?!"

"... I think I was the same age-"

"No, no, not the point! You actually talked to Rin!"

"That's because I didn't like Takaou at first and apparently it was for a good reason."

Lando huffed a sigh, "But-"

"Besides, don't you think Rin was a _dick?"_

"Oh, I still do!" objected Lando, and Akihiko hesitated, blinking at her, "But you look really happy texting him!"

Akihiko scoffed, feeling her cheeks heat up, and she shook her head, "... No, I don't, s_hut up-"_

Suzeme sat up as well, pointing to Akihiko, Bunko and Asuka looking over with yawns, "Akihiko, you're blushing! See, she's _blushing..."_

Akihiko rolled her eyes, unlocking her phone to type a response to Rin.

'_Yeah, I'll be home later.'_

* * *

Rin was waiting at their house by the time Akihiko was dropped off by Lando's grandma - on the front steps, no less, and she figured he'd taken her warning of her neighbor's calling the cops seriously. At the sight of him, Lando told her grandmother not to drive off, rolling down her window quickly.

"Bye, _fatty!" _called Lando, and Akihiko sputtered, turning around to look at her friend - it was customary that they said goodbye to each other in this fashion, but, _still-_

"... Lando-"

"What's wrong, _fatty?"_

"I swear to god, Lando-"

"Bye, _fatty - _Grandmother, shut up, I will speak to my friends however I please! _Get on my level!" _Lando quickly forgot of her argument with her elder, however, turning back to the embarrassed brunette walking up the drive to her house, "Hey, look, it's _Daddy Shark-"_

"Goodbye, fatass!" yelled Akihiko back, and Lando plopped down in her seat with a smug looking smirk.

However, as her grandmother drove off, Akihiko and Lando were still yelling insults to each other - Akihiko turned round once the two were out of sight, walking up her stairs, past Rin.

"What did she call me? _Daddy Shark?" _

"I-it's nothing, Rin! I'll be right back, alright? I'm going to go drop my bags off in my room." She knew Nagisa was off somewhere - she'd already texted and asked the boy on her way home, shower taken and hair and make-up done before she could even fathom getting packed to leave Suzeme's.

Rin hesitated as the girl entered her house, and he caught the door before it could swing shut, following her in - Kairi had already bolted down the stairs at hearing somebody, Hime following at a much more leisure pace, though once she saw Rin she sped up slightly.

Akihiko hesitated when she saw the boy follow her in, "What - seriously, Rin!" she snapped, and she reached to grab Kairi's collar, though the dog was already pouncing on Rin, jumping higher then he stood.

"_Kairi - get down! I'm not dealing with it today!" _she grabbed the dog's collar finally and yanked her away, ordering her back upstairs - Hime gave a few sniffs to the boy and barked when he moved to follow Akihiko, a warning.

"Hime - you know who that is, seriously, stop being like that!" she let go of Kairi's collar, still commanding the dog upstairs before she could run off again, and Kairi agreed in a moping way, walking up the stairs with her head low and her tail drooping. "Sorry - Kairi's bark is worse then her bite, and Hime - well, you know how Hime is." He indeed did - the dog used to be as enthusiastic about everything as the smaller one, though even as children she'd had a temper, snapping at those who moved to close to Nagisa or Akihiko, teeth bared. He'd never been bit by her, surprisingly, considering how many times he'd made Akihiko cry. "Hime'll bite. Just stay down here and let her check you out-" she hesitated at that, though shook her head, "wait - no, whatever. _Stay here, Rin." _she repeated, before pounding up the stairs, yelling at Kairi to get in her room.

* * *

**So I lied. No solo ensemble! Next chapter, I promise. This chapter was going to be longer but I have to go to sleep! It seems like a filler chapter to me... Sorry! Some fluff...**

**Sorry, I'll reply to reviews next time, have to post this before my mom comes in here and yells at me!**

**Spoilers: BUT I FINISHED EPISODE 9. Rin's dubstep, unf.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm going to order my homecoming dress after this~!**

**Also - I googled the Baby Shark song.**

**It is much gayer than I remembered.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Clumsy hands reached for her screeching alarm clock - hitting the top of it, the beeping pausing for a moment, she rolled over in her bed and clutched at the stuffed dog she slept with, Kairi adjusting herself as well at the foot of her bed. Just as sleep was about to accept her back, her phone began ringing from the top her T.V., and she groaned, throwing back her blankets though immediately regretting her decision, sitting up at the foot of her bed and reaching, grabbing the cord to its charger and yanking it into her hands.

She hesitated, squinting to read the name without her glasses, her eyes burning from the light. She gave another groan, answering it quickly.

"What, Allen?" she snapped, and she boy gave a whine on the other line.

_"Aki!" _he cried, _"I'm freaking out, girl!"_

She rolled her eyes, unplugging her phone and standing from her bed, walking over to her bedside table and flicking her lamp on, shutting off her alarm clock, the time declaring itself to be four in the morning.

She'd only had two hours of sleep, staying up to text Rin once again until she'd passed out.

"Why are you freaking out, Allen?" she asked, speaking as if to a child as she walked from her room after putting on her glasses, not bothering to put on pants at the moment, blue-striped underwear proudly on display. She pulled up the strap to her cami, patting her exposed thigh for Kairi to follow her.

"Because - Aki, please don't talk to me like that right now!"

"Like what?" she played dumb as she walked down the dark hallway, feeling her heart-rate increase at every noise - she'd always been afraid of the dark, and her discovery and love of creepypastas did not help that.

"Like - you're so _annoyed _by me! Aki, seriously, though, I'm freaking out!"

She sighed, flicking on the light to her bathroom, "Alright, alright, what is it, Allen?"

"Okay, for one I haven't been able to sleep like all night, and I'm flipping! Seriously! I have no idea where the hell my music even is and just - ughhhh!" he broke off into a fit of groans, unintelligible words being spoken.

She hesitated, speaking as she opened up her drawer in the bathroom, grabbing her brush and straightener, her shower taken not more then four hours ago. "You... _lost _you solo ensemble music?" she sighed, plugging in her straightener, opening up her cabinet after glancing at herself in its mirror and retrieving her make-up, glad all her belongings had been brought up from the downstairs bathroom.

"Well, I didn't _lose _it, I'm just not all that sure it's in my saxophone case and just..."

"You haven't slept?"

_"Noooo, _Aki, that's why I called you!"

"Maybe you should take a nap. I'll call you when I'm done doing my hair. Go see if it's in your saxophone case."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Allen." She hung up before he could even object - the boy had moved from America to Japan a year ago, and Akihiko had met him in Band. The two bonded over their hatred for others in the class, sitting in the corner and giggling over their peers. Though the girl was first clarinet, she more then often sat in the second row beside the saxophones to talk with the dark-skinned boy.

He was very overbearing, however, she'd learned, and was shocked he didn't immediately call her back.

As seven rolled around, her hair and make-up was already done, sweatpants now on and her outfit already laid out on the bed for the day. Hanging up on Allen for the second time that morning - his music had indeed been in his case - she walked up the stairs with Kairi on her heels to wake up her younger brother, who had packed with the help of his sister the night before for his training. Hime's head shot up when Akihiko flicked the light on, and she crossed his room, shaking her brother's shoulder.

"Nagi, wake up. You have to get ready to go." she said softly, and he rolled over in response, locks of blonde hair sticking in different directions.

"Come on, Nagi." she continued to prod, and eventually he let out a droning whining noise that caused Kairi to jump up atop his bed.

"Mmm... What time is it, Aki...?" he muttered as he sat up, one hand petting the dog's head while the other rubbed at his eyes.

"Seven in the morning, Nagi."

Another whine, and his head fell against his sister's arm, "Whaaattt?" he asked, and she chuckled.

"Come on, get up. You don't want to be late." she said simply, placing her hands underneath his arms and hauling him up - he stood on shaking legs, still leaning against Akihiko.

"I know, Onee-chan..." he yawned, before standing and beginning to walk from the room, Hime slowly standing and following after him. Akihiko smiled, calling Kairi down from her brother's bed and fixing his blanket, fluffing his pillow slightly, not entirely making his bed just yet.

Hearing her brother start the shower, she sighed, heading into her own room once again. She grabbed the pink case of her clarinet from her vanity, sitting down on her bed beside her shirt for the day and retrieving her music, pencil markings circling where she needed to work on, dynamics underlined, crescendos and decrescendos bold. Pulling off her sweatpants, she unbuttoned her black dress pants and wiggled into them, buttoning them back up as she examined herself in the vanity, blue ribbons from her previous years in solo ensemble and Band Festival hanging on display on her mirror. Making sure to keep her hair perfect, she gently pulled her shirt on over her cami, the black shirt made of a see-through lace. Sitting down at the chair to her vanity, she grabbed the diamond necklace she'd yet to put on, clasping it behind her neck, deciding not to deal with a bracelet today. Adjusting her ring, she patted down a few stray strands of hair before reaching for black socks, pulling her leg up to slide them on, standing afterwards to head back to her bed. Putting her piece of music in a folder, she sighed and grabbed her clarinet case, leaving her room, smiling down at Kairi as she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Nagi?" she called, and after hearing the boy respond she continued, "I'm heading for the train, alright? Allen's meeting me there. Have fun at camp this weekend, alright? I'll see you when you get back."

'Yeah, alright, onee-chan!" he called back through the door, "Good luck! Love you, bye-bye!"

She smiled, "I love you too, Nagi, bye." she said, heading downstairs - slipping on black flats and forcing Kairi back as she left, clarinet and music in-hand.

* * *

Allen had gotten on the train in a disorganized flurry, clutching his case against his stomach as he found Akihiko and plopped down beside her with an aggravated breath, her case resting in her lap along with her folder, phone clasped in-between her hands atop it all.

"You found your music?" she asked, just to reconfirm, and he nodded.

"Mmhm. Kuhn's lucky I did, I would of made his ass run to copy it real quick if I didn't." said the boy, sitting his case beside him, and Akihiko chuckled, her phone dinging with a text.

"Who is it?" asked Allen, "Bunko? When is the train picking her up? Does she know when she performs yet?"

Akihiko shook her head with a shrug, "It's not Bunko. I'm not sure what time I go on, though. Do you know?" she asked, opening the text from Rin - she had told him of her team's training schedule, and apparently Samezuka was headed to the island for the pool as they spoke.

_'whyd you say you couldnt make it? some gay band thing?'_

Allen glanced over her shoulder, and he laughed, "It is a gay band thing." he shrugged, and Akihiko laughed.

_'Solo ensemble, dick, get it right.'  
_

"Who's that?" repeated Allen, pointing to the name _Daddy Shark._

"His name's Rin," said Akihiko, glancing up at Allen, "He used to swim with my little brother."

Allen nodded, then hesitated and looked closer at the girl.

"... Allen?... What're you doing?..."

Allen suddenly shot back up, "Girl, you're flirting with him!" he exclaimed, and Akihiko blinked.

"What? How am I flirting with him?" her tone became defensive - obviously Lando had already gotten to the boy.

"Look at that smirk you have right now! It's the same smirk you get when you stalk Plaid Shirt Guy!"

"I don't _stalk _him-"

"What's his fourth hour?"

Without missing a beat, Akihiko replied, "Painting." only to get a stare in response from Allen.

She sputtered, "What?! Daichi has the same class as him!" she attempted to defend herself, though Allen waved her off.

"Let me see your phone!" he cried out when her phone dinged with another text, and she hesitated.

"What? No!" she snapped, unlocking her phone only to get it snatched from her hands. _"Allen, give it back!"_

"He said solo ensemble seems pretty gay." snickered Allen, and he nodded his head, "I like him."

Akihiko rolled her eyes, grabbing her phone back, replying with, _'You're pretty gay.' _before turning back to Allen.

"You and Lando both say I'm flirting with the boy. Can't I just have a friend that happens to be a boy?" she challenged, and Allen replied without even thinking.

"No." he paused, "Well, except for me."

"You're not a boy, though." said Akihiko, and Allen hesitated, glancing down at her before hitting her in her shoulder.

* * *

Her shoes clicked with each step she took, walking quickly down the halls of the unfamiliar school solo ensemble had taken place that year, one hand clutching Alexander, her clarinet, while the other held an envelope. She glanced round, searching for a certain face amongst the others from different schools before she finally found Allen, whose alto saxophone still hung on his neck-strap and had a similar looking envelope in his hands. Catching sight of Akihiko, Allen approached her as well until they met halfway, both holding out their envelopes.

"What did you get?" asked Akihiko, looking up at him, and he pulled from his envelope a blue ribbon.

"A one."

She grinned, high-fiving the boy. "Good job, Allen!" she boasted, and he laughed at her.

"What about you?" he asked, and she flashed off her own medal, blue ribbon and all.

"A one!"

They high-fived once again, laughing as Akihiko felt a buzzing in her back pocket - she hesitated, pulling her phone out and answered as she walked back into the school's commons, Allen close behind her.

"Onee-chan! I just saw your ribbon on Facebook! Good job!" cheered Nagisa on the other line, and she hesitated before beaming.

"Oh, you saw it already?" she laughed, "Thanks, Nagi."

"Uwah - wait, onee-chan, everyone wants to talk to you!" he said, and he put his phone on speaker for the others of his team to talk.

"Good job, Aki-chan!" boasted Makoto, and she smiled, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Thanks, Mako-kun."

"You did excellent, Hazuki-senpai."

She hesitated and flushed more at the added 'senpai', "O-oh, you don't have to call me that, Rei-kun, but thanks..."

"... Good job, Akihiko."

She hesitated at that, her blush forgotten, and she smiled, "Haru?! Thanks!" She recoiled at her phone beeping in her ear, and pulled it away for a second, Lando's name flashing, "Um - hey, thanks, boys, but I have to go! Lando's calling me! Good luck-"

"What?! But Lando's right beside us!" objected Nagisa, and Lando butted in.

"I want to talk to her by myself!"

Akihiko chuckled, saying another goodbye to her brother, who was no longer listening, and answered her awaiting call, "Hey, Lando."

"Hey, beautiful!" Lando chanted, yelling something about Nagisa getting out of her face.

Akihiko smiled, hugging her clarinet against her chest. "How are the boys?"

"Great, all except for your little shit of a brother."

Akihiko laughed, shrugging even though Allen was the only one to see her, "Well, what's new?"

Lando laughed as well, "Well, yeah, I guess you're right."

Akihiko smiled, hand still holding onto her envelope and Alexander, about to reply when her phone beeped once again - she sighed, pulling it away, expected to see another call from Nagisa though instead saw _Daddy Shark_'s name popping up.

_'i heard you got a one. nice job, nerd.'_

* * *

**The ending probably sucks but it's two o'clock in the morning and this school thing has really gotten me tired. **

**For those of you who don't know, a blue ribbon is a First Division rating, the highest score you can get in solo ensemble.**

**vivvy09: Uwah, thanks! :3**

**Lord Nebula: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like the pacing, because I really am unsure about it xD**

** .Kittys: Ugh, I know! School has messed up everything! D: I'm glad you like Aki and Rin. :3 And my mom does the same thing. xD Mmm... I want Mako to help me too xD And I'm glad you like the Daddy Shark nickname! xD The song was the first thing that came to mind, so I went with it! xD**

**Okay, so there wasn't a lot of Rikihiko (Akirin?) in this chapter, or a lot of a_nything, _really, but I promise the next few chapters will make up for that!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I've been waiting to write this chapter since I've started this fic! Spoilers for Sex and the City and its sequel.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.  
**

* * *

"... Alright, Mom."

"He's upset, isn't he?"

Akihiko sighed, leaning against the kitchen's marble island - she saw Nagisa curled up on the couch, Hime's head in his lap.

"He'll be fine, Mom. He understands. He was just... looking forward to it, I guess." Akihiko said, phone pressed against her ear. She reached a hand down, petting Kairi's black head, the dog's chocolate eyes gazing up as if she could sense something amiss.

"I feel really bad about it, but, you know. There's only so much you can do. It's work."

"I know, Mom. When will you be transferred to this hospital?"

"I'm not sure. Whenever they get around to it, I guess. It's not like they need me, though. They have enough nurses in the E.R. for everyone in Japan."

Akihiko smiled, "Yeah, Mom?" she mused, and her mother chuckled on the other line.

"Yeah... Are you sure you'll be alright there on your own for a little bit longer? I can get Nana to come stay with you, I mean-"

"No, it's fine. We've been alright till now, I can take care of Nagi for awhile longer."

"If you say so, Akihiko. I saw you got a one - sorry I didn't call that night. They kept me till midnight."

"Oh - it's fine. Thanks, Mom."

"We'll go out when I get home - oh. My boss is paging me. I'll talk to you later, alright, Akihiko? Call me if anything happens."

"I will, Mom. Bye. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Akihiko sighed, hanging up her phone, a cough following suit - she was pretty sure she was slowly getting sick - glimpsing at the picture of her mother before it returned to her phone's wallpaper of Akihiko and Lando. Her mother was wide-hipped, curvy and busty, built the same as her daughter, with the same blonde hair as her son and pink eyes of both her children. She was a sarcastic and independent woman, who worked as an E.R. nurse since Akihiko was three. She was a young woman, looking as if she could be Akihiko's sister, age thirty-six though still able to pass off in her early twenties.

Akihiko gave another sigh, sniffling pushing off the island and walking back into the living room, sitting down on the couch beside her younger brother.

"Nagi?" she asked, and the boy didn't reply, "Nagi, you know she'd make it to your tournament if she could. She can't help work."

The boy gave a mumbled, 'I know.' curling up against his sister as Kairi joined them, and they stayed like this until one o'clock came around.

"Onee-chan, I have to head to swim practice."

She hesitated at that, glancing away from their T.V., down at him, "You don't have to go today, Nagi. I'm sure they'd understand-"

"No, it's fine, Onee-chan. I want to go. I'll see you in a little bit, alright?"

She sighed, wrapping her arms around her brother and nodding, "Yeah, okay. Text me before you get home, alright?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I will. Love you, onee-chan."

"Love you too, Nagi."

The boy had barely made it out the door before she felt her eyes beginning to sting - she reached into the folds of the couch, searching from her phone, and yanked it out with a winning gasp.

_'You need to come over now. My mom won't be home for Nagi's competition. I'm freaking out, I'm about to cry. Bring ice cream.'_

She sent the message to Lando without even bothering to proofread it and stood, tossing the phone back onto the couch beside Kairi. Grabbing the remote, she took a shaky breath and glanced up to the ceiling, blinking her eyes fast, rubbing at the corner of her eye and smearing her eyeliner. Thinking she'd calmed enough, she walked over to the entertainment center and trifled through DVD cases until she found _Sex and the City. _She pulled out both it and its sequel, putting the DVD in and standing, heading to the kitchen before the trailers could even begin, remote being thrown to the couch with her phone. She opened her fridge and cursed aloud, shaking her head in aggravation when she could find nothing she wanted - after an annoyed moment of standing at the fridge, she headed back to the couch and plopped down, sliding her phone into the pocket of her jeans, slightly surprised Lando had yet to text back.

She cried when Steve Brady confessed to Miranda Hobbes he'd cheated on her; when Carrie Bradshaw was hitting John James Preston with her bouquet of wedding flowers when he hadn't shown up at their wedding; when Miranda and Carrie were alone for Valentines Day, and Miranda confessed about the wedding rehearsal; and did not stop even when the four ladies went on Carrie's honeymoon, not even when Charlotte York had pudding in her Prada, nor when the woman shit herself.

As the movie ended, she was prepared to send another text to Lando to ask if the girl was okay, when a knock sounded on her door. She took another shaky breath as she stood, Kairi and Hime already barking at the door, running her hands below her eyes and giving a grimace at the black residue of mascara that was left when she pulled away. Opening the door, she was about to throw herself at Lando when she saw a blur of red standing in her doorway through the teardrops on her glasses.

"Rin?" she hiccuped, shoving Kairi and Hime away, giving another hasty wipe at her eyes, "Wh-what are you doing here?..."

"You texted me." he said simply, and threw at her a plastic bag - she barely caught it, its contents hitting her chest and falling into her arms. "I brought ice cream. What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She hesitated, shaking her head as she glanced down at the bag he'd thrown at her, "I - what? No, I texted Lando..." She blinked, mentally cussing at that - that's why Lando had never replied.

"No, you texted me. You said your mom won't be home for awhile?" he asked, and she slowly nodded.

"I - yeah, sorry, this looks really stupid, doesn't it?" her words ran together as she spoke, attempting to push the bag back to Rin, "I'm so sorry. I meant to text Lando, I didn't mean to bother you. Y-you can go."

He pushed the bag back to her, "I'm not _leaving, _not with you like this." he said simply, "Go put the dogs up so they're not all over me and then come back down here. I'm not going anywhere." he assured, taking the bag from her only to sit it on the coffee table - she hesitated as she watched him, not moving from her spot.

"Hmm? What is it? I told you to go put them away." he grimaced as Kairi hopped up on him, paws against his chest.

She started, shaking her head, "What? Oh, umm, yeah... Kairi, Hime, come on! Get upstairs!" she ordered, gripping their collars, and they obeyed. Once locked in her room, Kairi's nails scraping against the wood, she walked back downstairs slowly, sniffling.

"Okay, so what happened?" asked the boy, plopping down on their couch - she sighed, grabbing the bag from the table and walking into the kitchen as she spoke.

"Nothing. My mom just - she can't transfer hospitals right now, so she won't be home for awhile. It's stupid, Rin, I shouldn't even be crying." she sighed, opening up a drawer and retrieving a spoon as she pulled the tub of ice cream from the bag, taking the lid off. She didn't bother with a bowl, and after a hesitant moment she grabbed another spoon. _What am I doing? He can't eat this, can he? Being on a swim team and all? _She shrugged in response to herself, still carrying the extra spoon, holding hers in her mouth.

She sat the ice cream down on the table once more, sticking her spoon in and throwing Rin his own spoon, before she turned round to the T.V.

"It's not stupid," said the redhead, watching her bend down and remove the DVD, searching for another, apparently not comfortable with the idea of watching _Sex and the City 2 _with him.

She did not reply - after a moment, she gave a defeated sigh, just fitting the sequel into the DVD player. She stood once more, grabbing the ice cream and falling down beside Rin on the couch, examining the ice cream's type of chocolate before just shrugging.

_I like strawberry more, _she rolled her eyes at herself, scooping up ice cream and sticking the spoon in her mouth, _Just eat it, dumbass. Be happy he even came. _

She slowly pulled the spoon from her mouth with a sigh, removing her glasses and rubbing off the dried up tear marks, letting the tub of ice cream rest in her lap. Placing them back on her face, she took a breath before speaking.

"Hey, Rin?"

"Yeah?" he responded, glancing down at her.

"Why'd you even come?"

He hesitated at that, blinking red eyes down at her, and after a moment he responded. "Why wouldn't I? You said you were crying." he shrugged at that, before turning back towards the T.V., though he seemed to have no actual interest in the trailers.

She hesitated, then gave a small smile, crossing her legs over his, "... Either way, thanks, Rin."

He shrugged once again, letting her tangle her legs with his long limbs. He did not bother with the ice cream, letting her keep it to herself, and for awhile the two were quiet, the only noises coming from the movie and Akihiko's occasional sniffles - however, not fifteen minutes into the movie, Akihiko had abandoned the tub of ice cream on the coffee table, her head leaning against Rin's shoulder, eyes half-lidded.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Rin hesitated at the sight of her, and shook his shoulder - she gave an annoyed noise, sitting up.

"Jesus, what was _that _for-" she however was not able to finish her scold, the sharp-toothed boy suddenly shoving her down on the couch, hands planted on either side of her so she couldn't escape.

She hesitated, her glasses sliding down and pushing uncomfortably at her eyelashes, "Rin-? What are you-"

Once again, however, the boy cut her off - lips pushed against hers, and she froze up, pink eyes wide.

_First kiss, oh shit. _

Her hands went to his chest and she mentally cussed, unsure what to do. He pulled away from her lips and began trailing kisses down her jaw line, and she panicked at the butterflies in her stomach, barely paying attention as he reached lower and lower, and then-

"Ow, _shit, _Rin!"

His teeth had sank down on the bumps in her skin that were her collarbones, leaning a bite mark on display. At her yelp, he'd quickly pulled back.

"What? Oh - _ugh, _I didn't mean to bite so hard, Aki-"

She looked up at him, glasses still falling against her eyes, and she chuckled at him, causing him to stop in the middle of his sentence. "No, it's fine-" _What? No, it's not fine, he just kissed me. _"- I just didn't expect it."

He hesitated at that, and in turn chuckled back at her, leaning down and kissing where he'd bit - slowly, he moved back up her neck, and his teeth nipped at her once again.

"Ow - that doesn't mean to do it again, Rin!"

_Why is he doing this at all? I don't know what to do..._

He laughed in her ear, and she opened her mouth to reply once more when she heard a knock on the door, "Aki, you in there? I forgot my key."

Akihiko started, sitting up quickly - her and Rin bumped foreheads, and they both pulled away with a pained groan, holding their foreheads.

"You have to go!" snapped Akihiko, shoving the boy back, "That's Lando! Come on, Rin - get up, we don't have time for this!"

Rin rolled off her and she stood, placing a hand to her collarbone and pulling her palm away - at seeing no blood, she gave a relieved breath, taking her hair and flipping it over her shoulders, hoping it'd cover whatever marks she had.

"Come on, Rin! Go jump the fence!" she grabbed the boys wrist and shoved him along - he gave an annoyed noise, though obeyed, leaving through the sliding doors, Akihiko waving at his back. Patting her hair done once more, she sniffled and cast a glance at the T.V. before heading towards the door, opening it.

"Hey," said Lando, "Nagisa told me about your mom. You alright? You've been crying." she observed, stepping in and taking off her shoes; Akihiko closed the door behind her, shaking slightly.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now." said the girl quickly, "I just needed to get it out of my system, I think. Come on, I have ice cream." invited Akihiko, walking along - she cringed when she heard Kairi jumping on her door upstairs, dogs still locked in her room.

Lando hesitated, "What are Kairi and Hime doing upstairs?" she asked, and Akihiko turned towards her, smiling nervously.

"Oh, um-"

"Aki, is that a _hickey?"_

The girl hesitated, her hand flying up to her collarbone, unsure what else to do as Lando stepped forward, prying her hand from her neck.

"Oh my god - that's a hickey!" exclaimed Lando, and something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye - she pushed thick brown hair back, a growing bruise forming around a bite-mark, just the same as her collarbone.

_"Aki-"_

"I can explain!" said Akihiko, and she spoke as if she'd just committed a crime, "I texted Rin by accident - I meant to text you - and he showed up at my door with ice cream and just - _I'm so sorry-_" As she spoke, her voice cracked and tears came to her eyes, Lando's expression suddenly turning dark.

"What - are you saying he, like, _took advantage _of you, Aki?"

"What? No! He didn't! I let him and - oh, god, that sounds really bad, doesn't it? _I let him-"_

"Let him do what?"

The girl shook her head, "He kissed me, Lando! _Kissed me! _And then he bit me and I just - I just didn't know what to do and I _let him _do it all and-"

Lando laughed, clasping Akihiko's shaking hand, "Calm down, Aki! All he did was kiss you!" she said, and Akihiko slowly stopped shaking, blinking at her friend.

"But - that was my _first kiss _and I didn't even see it coming and we're not even _dating-"_

"You guys aren't dating _yet!" _she laughed, pulling her friend along to the couch, singing, _"First kiss bliss! Akihiko's got first kiss bliss~!"_

_"I wouldn't exactly categorize this as bliss!"_

* * *

**I really love how I ended this.**

**I know it's not good though it's okay.**

**Review? :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! :D Once again, I'd like to say I'm really happy that so many people like this and you all are ****_awesome! _****:3**

**I'm happy to say that I will be writing a prequel to this, which will be posted as soon as this chapter goes up - it's going to be pretty short, maybe four chapters, and will talk more about Aki's childhood, and it's going to be darker than this. I'm also collaborating with Intrigued Writer on the third chapter of her Free! fanfic, ****_Something Old, Something New_****, ****and maybe more! Also, I will be putting out a Rin oneshot on the 21st, the day of my Homecoming. (does that give you an idea on what it's about? :3)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

"But,_ think about it, _Lando, we could of... we could of _fucked _right there on the couch if you hadn't of come in!"

Akihiko was still busy having a panic attack on the couch, half an hour after Rin had left, on the verge of hyperventilating. Lando was busy working at the tub of ice cream, using the spoon Rin had left untouched to scoop up chunks of chocolate chips, melted ice cream on the corners of her mouth.

Lando rolled her eyes at the girl, speaking through a mouthful of ice cream, "I think you're taking this a little too seriously."

_"No, you're not taking it seriously enough!" _snapped Akihiko, pushing her bangs back and up to the top of her head, giving the girl a disheveled appearance, _"What would of happened if it'd been Nagisa walking through that door?"_

Lando shrugged her shoulders, turning to the T.V., Samantha Jones looking around the pool at all the swimmers, her libido dead, "He knows how baby's are made." she said, and paid no mind to the glare Akihiko threw her way, pointing to the T.V. with her spoon, "Look - this is like me and you at the pool with the boys, except we're all up on their dicks." She laughed at her own jerk, turning back to her friend, "Except, y'know. No Daddy Shark there for you."

_"I'm going to kill you." _said Akihiko, digging her fingers through her hair, "Lando, you don't understand. My mom will literally freak out if she sees this on my neck."

"That's why they make make-up, Aki."

"I don't think that's why they made make-up."

"Either way! You know what I meant!" Lando waved her hand at her friend, before going back to the ice cream, "Besides, I thought your mom isn't as bad as she was before?"

Akihiko shook her head, "She's not, I mean, you've seen her - we get along now that she's not with my dad. But she's really bad about stuff like this, ever since Takaou. She thinks all boys are after my boobs now. She'd kill me if she knew Rin saw me in a cami."

Lando nodded, scraping up a corner of the tub, already done with one half of the ice cream, "I remember when she made you go put on a shirt when Grandma came over."

Akihiko shrugged, "Which, I can kind of see why but - No! That's not the point of this! Lando, seriously. If you hadn't of knocked on the door, I honestly have _no _idea how far we would of gone. I mean - it's pretty obvious I wasn't stopping him anytime soon, and he wasn't going to stop, or at least he didn't seem like he was. We literally could of fucked."

"I think Takaou has fucked up your whole idea of boys." said Lando, beginning to scoop up ice cream on the other half.

Akihiko shook her head, "No, he didn't, I'm just not stupid - it legit could of happened!"

"Legit?" repeated Lando.

_"Legit!" _cried Akihiko, turning towards her friend, who sighed through her nose in response.

And, while Akihiko was busy sliding off the couch and onto the floor to roll around in her self-pity, Lando shoved another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

_"Just date him already, Akihiko."_

* * *

It was a little after two in the morning when Akihiko was awoken by rocks hitting her window.

Kairi was pushing past the curtains, sniffing at the window; the girl shot up in her bed and shushed her dog, Lando snoring loudly beside her in her bed. She pushed aside her purple blankets and threw them atop her friend, leaning onto her knees and shoving aside curtains and pulling up blinds, grinning when she saw Rin. She quickly opened her window and leaned out - the boy, who hadn't seen her, threw another pebble up. It hit her in her shoulder, though she brushed it off quickly.

_"Rin!" _she cried, and the boy hesitated, glancing up at her, _"I'll be right down!"_

He hesitated at her window, though by then she'd already closed it, curtains and all. She stumbled from her bed, a pair of boxer shorts covering her short legs, considering she refused to sleep in her underwear with Lando there. She pulled up her cami's strap and grabbed her phone from the T.V., which was still on and playing an old episode of South Park. Walking down the stairs, she shoved Kairi back and stole Lando's flip-flops, slipping them on and meeting the sharp-toothed boy in her backyard.

She ran at him, throwing her arms around his neck - he stumbled back at her weight and the shock of having her tackle him, though eventually settled them, placing his hands to her waist.

"I thought you were mad at me!" she exclaimed in his neck, still clinging on for dear life.

He hesitated, still holding onto her, red eyes glancing down at the distressed girl, "Why would I be mad at you?" he asked.

"You haven't texted me all day! I thought you might be mad because I shoved you out when Lando showed up!"

"It's your house, Aki, I can't really get mad at you for that." he said, slowly prying her arms from around her, and she nodded.

"Right - I mean, wait, no, that's wrong, you can come in anytime, Rin-"

He chuckled at her and she slowly trailed off, staring up at him, and that's when he noticed the marks on her neck, almost hidden by her hair and the shadows cast on her face by the light of her porch.

"Oh - _shit, _Aki, I didn't mean for that to happen." he said, reaching out a hand and touching it the bite-mark on her neck, a purple bruise surrounding it.

She hesitated, glancing at his arm, "What? No - it's fine." _Stop saying that, it's not! He **kissed **you, we talked about this with Lando! _"I can cover it up with make-up, and the one on my neck I can hide with my hair." she smiled, taking hold of his arm by his elbow and pulling it away from her collar bone, "I've got this, Rin."

He hesitated at that, then chuckled, nodding his head, "I'm sure you do." he said.

"So, did you come over for a walk?" she asked, glancing up at him. _Are we not going to talk about what happened?... No, of course we aren't. We're just friends. Not even that. We walk together. But... we text. So? I'm over-thinking this._

"Of course we are. Come on." he said, motioning with his arm for him to follow her, and she nodded.

"Yeah, alright, I'll meet you-"

"No, come on. I'll help you jump the fence."

She hesitated, already heading towards the doors, glancing back at him, "What? No, it's fine-"

"It'll be a lot easier, Aki."

She shook her head almost immediately, "I'll break your shoulders. Seriously. Just - I'll meet you over there."

She darted inside the house before he could object. _No, I'm not letting him help me, he'll have to pick me up and - I'm too big for that, is he kidding?!_

She locked the sliding doors and walked through the house, sliding out the front door, unaware of the girl upstairs who was watching the rerun of South Park - and Lando was well aware as to where Akihiko had disappeared too.

* * *

"So, Aki,"

The brunette girl hesitated, glancing over at the redhead - they were currently on their way back to her house, and she had been right, no more words were spoken of the markings on Akihiko's neck, or of any of the day's happenings.

"Yeah, Rin?"

He shrugged his shoulders, as if telling himself it didn't matter, looking down at her, "You wanna come to Samezuka tomorrow? See how a real swim team practices?"

She recoiled at that, and for a moment slowed her steps, having to shuffle to catch back up with him, "Can I do that?" she asked, deciding not to voice how he didn't think Iwatobi was a true swim team, "Just walk in and watch practice? Isn't it an all-boys school?"

He shrugged his shoulders once more, though this time it seemed to be addressed to Akihiko, "I don't know. I'm sure my Captain will be okay with it, don't worry."

She hesitated, "But, Rin-"

"Here, we're at your house." he said, pausing in his steps, and she glanced up - sure enough, they were, "I'll text you tomorrow and tell you where to go. Make sure you're ready by twelve."

_I'm going to have to get up by eight to take a shower and do my hair and everything. _"You really should stop making plans without my okay, Rin."

He shrugged once again, already beginning to walk off, leaving her to stand in front of her house. "Whatever, Aki. See you tomorrow."

And, with that, he disappeared down the street, not waiting for a response.

* * *

She pounded up the stairs, not caring if she were waking up her younger brother or making Hime have a panic attack. She shoved open the door to her room, closing it behind her and not even bothering to pet Kairi's head in a hello as she normally did, stalking straight over to her bedside table and flicking on the light.

_"Lando! Lando, Lando, Lando, wake up!" _yelled Akihiko, shoving her friend's shoulder; Lando awoke with a snap.

_"What the fu - _Akihiko, stop it! I'm awake!" she yelled back, throwing her friend's hands back at her, "What is it?!"

_"Rin just asked me to go to Samezuka's practice tomorrow!"_

Lando's eyes blinked - she'd fallen back asleep not long after Akihiko had left, not even bothering to look out the window to confirm her hypothesis of Akihiko walking with Rin correct, and she apparently hadn't needed too. "Like - a _date?"_

"What - no, not a _date! _Watching him swim around in a pool is not a date! If that's the case then I've dated everyone on the swim team, including my brother!"

Lando sat up, "I think it's a date." said the girl.

_"It's not a date!"_

_"Ohmigod - I'm gonna help you do your hair, and do your make-up, and - this is your first date! We've gotta take pictures, Aki!"_

**_"It's not a date!"_**

* * *

**Now to post this and then Opposite Sides of the Fence :3 This is really short though... Oh well.**

** .Kittys: I really like writing Lando, so xD I hope you like this chapter too! :3**

**kitsune29: Uwah, thanks! Here's some more Rikihiko! :3**

**Isabelmuch: Awh, thank you! Punctuation issues have always been a pet-peeve of mine, so I try to fix as much as I can! :D**

**Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**It's Wednesday!**

**Which is bad because I have band rehearsal, but good because the new episode of Free! comes out! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

A cough was heard throughout the household, followed by a loud, disgusting sounding sniffle. Akihiko was sitting on the edge of the bed, hair lying damp down on her shoulders, Lando moving around behind her, plugging in the hair dryer.

"I think I'm sick." Akihiko announced for about the fifth time since they'd woken up at eight in the morning, voice cracking.

Lando sighed, brushing out her friend's hair, "That's because you _are _sick." said the girl who had yet to even comb her hair that morning.

Akihiko sniffled again, "So why are you making me go still? He has practice more then one day a week. I don't want to get him or any of the others sick."

Lando rolled her eyes, sitting down the brush, sitting cross-legged behind Akihiko, "They're athletes. They have strong immune systems." she said simply, turning on the hair dryer and beginning to dry Akihiko's hair for her, the noise drowning out any response she could of made.

Akihiko's phone vibrated in her hands, unable to hear it ding over the hair dryer, and held it up to see a text from _Daddy Shark. _She coughed into her elbow as she typed in Nagisa's birthday, opening up her text.

_'You coming?'_

_'I didn't realize I had a choice.'_

She could tell Lando was looking over her shoulder, though didn't mind.

_'You don't.'_

She rolled her eyes. _'Then I guess I'm coming.'_

Lando, done drying Akihiko's hair, turned the dryer off, sitting it down on the bed and scooting off the bed, "Do your make-up while I go get your straightener!" ordered the girl, picking up the purple make-up bag from Akihiko's vanity and throwing it at her, a sneeze following suit.

_"... Eww." _said Akihiko sullenly, and Lando rolled her eyes, leaving the room as Akihiko stood and walked over to her vanity, her body stiff.

She checked her phone as she sat down in the chair to her vanity, a text from Rin drawing her attention.

_'you're damn right you're coming.'_

She smiled to herself, typing a response with one hand as she dug out make-up with the other, _'Oh, aren't you a bad ass.'_

She tilted her head to the side, letting out a choppy sigh at the sight of bruises still present, her breathing restricted by her swollen throat. Pulling out foundation, she sat her phone down, awaiting a text message from Daddy Shark as she removed her glasses.

_'you know it.'_

She found herself giggling at that, as she squinted at her phone, face a few inches in front of the screen, holding a eye pencil in her hand. She didn't bother with a response for the moment, turning back to her reflection.

When Lando returned, red, sparkly straightener and cans of hairspray clutched in her arms, Akihiko's make-up was already done, pink eyes outlined with brown only on the top eyelid, eyelashes batting against her glasses, inspecting her unblemished neck in the mirror. She turned in the chair when she saw Lando out the corner of her eyes, head tilted back.

"Can you see them?" she asked, gesturing to her neck, "I covered them up with foundation, and to make sure I used powder on top it. I can cover the one on my deck with my hair, too, so I think it'll be okay."

Lando nodded as she walked over to the bed, dropping the hair products on the bed, "I can't see them. Just make sure you don't get, like, splashed by water or anything." said the girl, grabbing the straightener, plugging it in beside the vanity, letting it sit beside the girl's phone as Akihiko gathered her make-up back in the bag.

"I figured." replied Akihiko, zipping up the bag and putting it to the side, catching the brush Lando threw at her and beginning to brush out her hair with a grimace and a cough, speaking to her friend without turning. "Did you talk to Nagi on your way down?"

"Yeah. I told him that I'd take you home with me so he didn't have to worry about you being sick during practice. We can just start walking in a little bit, and you can head to Samezuka and I'll go home. I can get Grandma to pick you up afterwards, if you want."

Akihiko nodded, "Yeah, that's fine. I feel bad lying to Nagi, though-"

"Don't feel bad! You'll tell him soon enough. Just not now."

Akihiko nodded in reply, knowing there was no use to argue against the girl, picking her straightener up.

* * *

An hour later, the two girls were walking down the street, Akihiko's hair straightened and make-up done, while Lando had simply thrown her hair up in a bun without brushing it, bandana tied round her head. The two girls looked almost identical except for that - glasses were on the bridges of their noses, a cami on underneath a jacket, unzipped just below their busts, Akihiko's a dark blue while Lando's was camouflaged. They both wore faded jeans, Lando's skinny while Akihiko's were bootcut, Akihiko's sparkly moccasins padding along the cement while Lando's flip-flops dragged with her feet. Akihiko's camouflaged purse was strapped across her body, hanging at her hip and hitting against her in a way she found comforting with every step, a cup of still-boiling hot chocolate held in one hand while the other moved as she spoke.

"I mean, do you think they'd, like, be _mad?..."_

Lando shook her head, bandana almost flying off her head, "I don't think they'd be _mad, _exactly, probably just... _shocked? _I don't know. Like, I know Mako would be fine with it, because, well, he's Mako. Haru probably wouldn't care. Nagi wouldn't shut the fuck up, which is no different from now, so. And Rei... I'm not sure about Rei, since he doesn't really know Rin, so it's not like he can really judge you or anything, and he doesn't really seem like the sort of person to do that, anyway. Kou would be happy." she shrugged as the two girls continued walking, hips swaying with their steps.

Akihiko thought for a moment, before nodding, the sun making her hair glimmer, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two stopped walking, Akihiko beginning to turn down another sidewalk. "You okay walking home alone?"

Lando nodded, "I do it all the time. Have fun with your Daddy Shark, Aki~"

Akihiko rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Bye-"

She cut herself off, a yelp escaping her mouth as Lando's hand came in contact with her butt, a loud smack echoing through the empty street.

"Look at that ass, Aki! I didn't know you had one!"

The girl's cheeks blushed and she turned, beginning to walk backwards down the road, eyes following her friend, "S-shut up!" she snapped, voice cracking.

Lando laughed, waving at Akihiko, "Those jeans make your butt look good, Aki!"

_"I know they do!" _hissed Akihiko, "Now stop talking so loud!"

"Are you wearing those for Rin?"

"What - _No! _I'm wearing them because I'm about to spend the next few hours of my life in an all-boys' school!"

_"I'm sure that's why, Aki!"_

* * *

She felt self conscious, standing at the gates of Samezuka, sipping at the hot chocolate in her hand, scrolling through her Facebook newsfeed on her phone in an attempt to look busy. She'd already sent a text message to Rin fifteen minutes prior, and, as it was getting closer to her standing at the gates for half an hour looking like a fool, she was about to call Lando's grandma when a voice made her jump.

"Hazuki-senpai?"

She started, almost dumping the hot chocolate on herself as she turned, a short boy standing there, pretty blue eyes blinking at her, head inclined only slightly - he had to only be a few inches taller then her, she figured.

She hesitated, "Oh-" her voice came out hoarse, and she coughed in her elbow once, shoving her phone in her jacket's pocket, "Don't call me that, please - Akihiko is fine."

The gray-haired boy smiled at her, the beauty mark of his below his right eye becoming noticeable to her, "Oh - I'm Nitori, Akihiko-san. Matsuoka-senpai sent me to get you."

She hesitated, smiling back at him, "You shouldn't let him boss you around, Nitori-san."

He hesitated back, shaking his head, "Oh - no, I don't mind, Akihiko-san!"

She smiled, following after the younger boy as he led her into the school, him pointing out things to her as if on her tour, though she didn't mind - she supposed he seemed like a nice boy.

"And here's the pool, Akihiko-san-"

"Nitori! What are you doing?!"

The two hesitated at the voice, turning to it, where a tall, redheaded man stood, golden eyes staring down at the two as he made his way down the hall. Akihiko recognized him as Samezuka's Swim Team Captain, Seijuro Mikoshiba, from Iwatobi and Samezuka's joint practice. She couldn't help but to flinch away from the boy as he walked closer and closer, his jacket hanging on his broad shoulders, and her pink eyes directed to the floor, brushing back her bangs to distract herself.

_He looks really scary._

"Rin's already at the pool, Nitori, what're you doing out here?"

"Oh - Matsuoka-senpai sent me to get his girlfriend at the gates! This is Hazuki-senpai!"

Akihiko's cheeks flared up, and she glanced up from the floor at the gray-headed boy, "I'm not his girlfriend, Nitori-san." she said quickly, before turning to the Captain, "I apologize - I'm not his girlfriend, Mikoshiba-san. Just - a friend."

She was surprised at the hearty laugh that sounded from the man's throat, his large hand ruffling her hair that she'd spent a little over two hours on.

"Hahaha! Don't be embarrassed about dating Rin, Hazuki! Hmm... But he's probably a handful, isn't he?"

She hesitated as he pulled his hand away, already beginning to brush her fingers through her hair to fix it, "Just call me Akihiko, Mikoshiba-san - and, _really, _I'm not dating Rin-"

"Hahahaha! No need to lie, Akihiko! You and Rin probably make a nice couple - someone like him needs something cute in his life to settle it out!"

_Did he just call me cute? Where's Rin-_

"Mikoshiba, leave her alone."

They all hesitated at the hoarse voice that sounded as the pool's doors opened - Rin stepped out, still in his swimsuit, dripping water, pressing a towel to his hair. At the sound of Rin's sick sounding voice, and Akihiko, sniffling, Mikoshiba added two and two together, clapping Rin on his back.

"Hahaha! And Akihiko was trying to tell me you two aren't dating! You're both sick - there's no way that's a coincidence!"

Rin rolled his eyes, though sniffled as well, and Akihiko hesitated, holding onto the cup in her hands.

She'd gotten him _sick?..._

"Shut up - and stop calling her by her first name."

"But it's a cute name - even if it's a boy's!"

Rin rolled his eyes once more, walking over and claiming Akihiko's hand, beginning to pull her to the pool, Mikoshiba and Nitori following after a moment. As he let go of her hand, he flashed her a smirk as she sniffled, throwing his towel into her arms - she caught it hesitantly, folding it on the arm with her hot chocolate, the wet hand he'd held going up to touch the bite-mark he'd given her on her collarbone.

And, though she didn't notice her foundation smearing, Mikoshiba did, with a beam and a boasting tone in his voice.

_"Akihiko - is that a hickey? I knew it! Rin, get back up here! Explain this to me!"_

* * *

**These chapters are all so short lately - sorry, but my friend's going to show up to pick me up for rehearsal anytime now!**

** .Kittys: Here's the daattteeee~! It's not over with though, don't worry!**

**Aoi Kazuya: I'm a pretty big girl, so I don't let anyone pick me up - it scares me when people try xD Here's another chapter~! :3**

**Soulfully Sadistic: I actually think it's really weird when people put "OC" as one of their characters in the filter - maybe it's because I'd never seen it done before, and I'm just not used to it, I don't know.**

**Review? :3**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

She had her purse gathered in her lap, a towel placed atop it, her hands folded around it. She had reapplied her foundation with the powder she'd kept in her bag, hoping her mirror wasn't lying to her, and had just dropped it back into her purse when the rest of the Swim Team walked in - they had stared at her for a moment, and she couldn't help but think if they'd ever seen a girl before, the way they were acting. Seijuro was standing beside her, Nitori sitting next to her, though he'd gotten up when the rest of the team began stretching. At the sight of all the men staring at her, she felt her face heat up and panicked for a moment, glancing down at her lap - she considered it may seem rude, but she bargained with herself that _staring _was rude, and, with that, she pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and typed a message to her brother, reminding him to feed Hime and Kairi once he'd gotten home.

She continued to distract herself with her phone, opening up Facebook for a few seconds, hearing Seijuro yell for his team to pay attention. She cringed, feeling partly to blame, though did still not glance up, seeing a Snap Chat from Lando arrive at her phone. She swiped the little ghost icon across her phone, opening it - a photo of the girl and her dog, a black-and-white furred boy with two different colors for eyes - blue and brown.

_'How's your date going?' _it read, and Akihiko hesitated, glancing up at the swim team and blinking. They didn't seem to be paying attention, she figured, and Seijuro's broad back was turned to her. After a moment, she lifted her phone, pretending to check her reflection in its screen - making sure her volume was muted, she captured a picture of the shirtless team, captioning it with, _'Good.' _before sending it, locking her phone almost immediantly when she heard feet hitting the concrete, padding towards her.

"What're you doing?"

She hesitated at the sight of Rin standing there, and she held out the towel for him, replying, "Nothing."

He took the towel from her outstretched hands, water dripping onto her jeans as he took a seat beside her, placing it atop his head. She glanced at him, feeling her phone vibrate beside her on the bench, "How come you're not stretching?" she asked.

"I already did." he said simply, pointing to her phone before she could reply, "What're you drinking?"

She blinked, and, after a moment, replied, "Hot chocolate."

"Let me have a drink."

She hesitated again, looking at him, "... But I'm sick."

"So? I am too." the boy said simply, placing a elbow to his knee, resting his chin in his palm, giving her a bored expression.

"So then-"

He ignored her after that, just reaching across the girl, leaving a trail of water across her thighs as he grabbed the styrofoam cup, and, she noticed after a few seconds, her phone.

"Rin - you're going to get my phone all wet!" she said, and he didn't reply - in fact, what he did was wipe his wet hand along her arm to dry it off, so he wouldn't leave behind water droplets, taking a gulp from her hot chocolate as he unlocked her phone, "Don't drink it all!" she ordered, and gave a sigh, "Shouldn't you be drinking something that'll hydrate you? Like water?"

"I didn't ask you opinion." he said simply, hovering his thumb over the Snap Chat app, unsure what to do. After a moment, he clicked on _'professor_lando', _opening the picture for ten seconds.

It was of her grandmother, who appeared to have no idea the girl had taken a picture of her, looking down at the magazine she was holding in her hands, glasses at the tip of her nose. _'Hanging with this old hag.'_

"So Lando hasn't changed." voiced the boy from beside her as the photo went away, and Akihiko hesitated.

"You know her?"

"Of course I do. We used to have class together," said the boy, glancing at her, still with her phone in his hands, "Remember? She didn't like me."

"She doesn't like a lot of people, I don't keep a list." said Akihiko, reaching for her phone back, though Rin held it out of her reach.

"Rin, give me my phone back." she ordered, and finally snatched it from his hands, wiping what water he'd dripping on it after, "Come on, we'll take a picture together."

He hesitated, glancing at her, though the girl had already switched it to front camera, leaning into the boy, their shoulders bumping. "Come here! Make sure you actually _smile, _alright?" she said, flashing him a smile, and he hesitated, before leaning into her as well.

Every time she was about to take the picture, she'd pause for a second, brushing her hand out of her face or adjusting her glasses, though it mostly was to fix her hair.

"Jesus, just take the picture already." Rin huffed.

"Don't yell at me." the girl said simply, sniffling, though she leaned closer into him a smiled, tiny little dimples appearing in her cheeks as she snapped the picture.

She pulled the phone away to look at the picture, though she stayed leaning into Rin's still damp body. "You were_ smirking, _you didn't _smile." _she frowned, though chuckled and screen shot the photo, before beginning to type a caption, noticably tilting the phone away so Rin couldn't see.

_'So I guess this 'date' is going well.'_

She sent it before tilting the phone back normally, exiting out of the app and turning her head to face Rin, who was once again chugging down her hot chocolate.

"Shouldn't you be swimming?" she asked, taking the cup back and grimaced, taking the last sip he'd left her.

"I practiced earlier." he said simply, sniffling.

"So?"

"So be quiet."

Her lips pursed at that, and she hesitated at the feeling of his arm wrap around her waist, though was unsure what to do besides let it happen.

"Rin?" she asked after a moment of silence between the two, the splashing of the pool and yelling of team members filling it.

He hesitated, glancing at her, "Yeah?" he asked.

"Do they think we're dating?"

He blinked at that, and she nodded towards the pool, where several of his teammates were staring. He sent them a glare and they flinched away, quickly looking to the water, "No." he said, "At least, they shouldn't. I haven't said anything. Have you?"

"No." _Because we're not dating? _"But, when Nitori-san came to get me at the gates, he called me your girlfriend. Same for Mikoshiba-san."

Rin rolled his eyes, "They're both idiots." he replied.

"I like them. Nitori-san seems like a nice boy, and Mikoshiba-san is funny-"

_"He's not funny."_

Akihiko hesitated when she felt his grip on her waist tighten, glancing up at him - she smiled, and shrugged, glancing back to the pool as she got a reply from Lando.

The girl was winking, glasses askew on her face, double chin present with her mouth wide.

_'You two are totally dating.'_

* * *

Akihiko was laying, sprawled out in the middle of Lando's first floor, staring up at the ceiling. Lando was sitting on the couch, bowl of ramen noodles sitting on her bust that she was currently using as a table, Hey Arnold playing on the T.V.

"But the thing it," said Akihiko, tilting her head to look at Lando, "is, that, we can't date. I'm, like, three sizes bigger then him. He's an athlete. I don't do sports. I hate sports. I hate running. He wants to go into the _Olympics. _Did you hear me? The fucking _Olympics, _and I just want to hold down the couch down and watch reruns of South Park until I die."

Lando spoke through her mouthful of ramen noodles, her dog, Osamu, curled up beside her, multi-colored eyes staring up at her, "You're not three sizes bigger then him. He just has muscle where you have fat. How much does he weigh? Like, one forty? One fifty? Yeah, that sounds good. And you're the same weight as me. Like-"

_"Let's not talk about how much I weigh!" _cried the girl on the floor, and, Lando's grandmother's dog, Jun, rose his head in question as to why she'd suddenly yelled.

Lando laughed, "Alllll-right." she agreed, twirling thin noodles around her fork.

Akihiko was still laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling in thought, when Grandmother came home with the jug of ice tea Akihiko had been craving for.

* * *

When eight-thirty rolled around, Rin had texted Akihiko to ask for a walk. She agreed to it, only if Lando could come however, and Rin had said that was fine, though Akihiko knew it had to be a reluctant agreement.

He texted her once again, around nine, saying he was at the address Akihiko had given him, and to come outside to meet him. The two girls pounded down the narrow staircase, saying a quick goodbye to Grandma (who just waved at them, telling them to be home before ten) and walking out onto the porch after shoes had been slipped on.

_"Get the hell back in the house, Jun!" _yelled Lando - she hated that dog - as she pushed the poor thing back into the house and off the porch. Rin stood in the drive way, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket as he waited. Akihiko walked down the steps, smiling to the boy as she unlocked the gate and went over to him, Lando following once Jun was back in the house.

"Hey - you're Rin?" asked the girl, bun bouncing atop her head as she walked over to him. He nodded, though didn't have time for an actual response before she continued, "I'm Lando."

"I know-"

"Awh, does Aki talk about me that much?!" beamed Lando, her face lighting up.

Rin shook his head, "No - we used to go to elementary school together, remember?"

"Oh - you had me excited, I thought Aki was actually talking about me! I don't remember."

"You hated me."

Lando blinked, a look that said she'd need a little bit more of a reminder.

"Daiki, Hisao, and I used to throw pencils at you."

"Well that would explain why I hated you then."

Rin smirked at her though simply nodded, beginning to walk, the two girls trailing him.

"So, _Daddy Shark," _began Lando, and Rin hesitated, looking over his shoulder at her - Akihiko flushed. "You gave Aki those hickys?"

Rin hesitated, well aware of Akihiko's open mouth, and chuckled, nodding his head. "Yeah," he said, "Yeah, I did."

"Are you two dating? Aki won't ever give a straight answer-"

"I give you a straight answer-"

"Well, I'm not sure if we're dating." Rin shrugged, looking back in front of him as he walked, "I haven't asked her, and she hasn't asked me, so I guess not."

Akihiko's face flushed once again, while Lando kept laughing for no apparent reason.

* * *

It was when they passed a one-story, brick house, that Akihiko fell exceptionally quiet.

Lando and Rin continued to chat away, though the other girl stopped as well when she noticed her friend looking away from the house. She hesitated, glancing up to the house, and sighed, not replying to Rin's question.

The boy hesitated, glancing back at the two silent girls, "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing-" Akihiko said in the same breath as Lando said, "Aki's ex lives here."

Rin blinked, stopping in his steps to allow the girls to catch up. "She's afraid of him." said Lando, and Akihiko turned to her friend with an incredulous face.

_"I'm not afraid of him!"_

"Why are you afraid of him?" asked Rin, glancing towards Akihiko, and Lando replied for her.

"He broke up with her for one of her friends, when she wouldn't send him a picture of her boobs." said the girl, and Akihiko went tense.

_"He doesn't need to know the story, it's embaressing-"_

"She's afraid he'll go around lying, and sayin' she's a whore and shit. But, let's face it, he's too afraid of us for that."

Akihiko's face was flushed, while Lando simply shrugged at her friend.

"Rin, ignore her, I'm not afraid of him-"

Rin wrapped an arm round her waist before she could continue, one hand on her hip, "Good, 'cause you shouldn't be." he said simply, leaning forward, and rubbed one finger against her collarbone, smearing her foundation to reveal that one little bruise.

Lando swooned, mouth wide, while Akihiko flushed, uncertain what to do.

_P.D.A, P.D.A, P.D.A-_

Lando, while Akihiko was too frozen to exactly comprehend, yanked her phone from her back pocket, almost dropping it in the process (which would of resulted in her crying for the next half an hour), and opened Snap Chat, capturing the picture of Rin and Akihiko with no shame, sending it to Suzeme, Bunko, Asuka, andAkihiko.

_'Look, it's Mommy and Daddy Shark!'_

* * *

**This is probably short too.  
**

**scheneeve: Awh, thanks! I try to update fast. :3 Here's the next chapter!**

** .Kittys: Uwah, I hope I made your day better~! :D**

**TsubakiHana: Thanks~! :3**

**Also, everyone - my friend's going to be over this whole weekend, so I'm not sure how much I'll update then~! I'll try my best!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Akihiko woke with a loud snore, nose too stuffed up for her to breathe through that. Her phone blared a song by Big Time Rush, and she blinked glossed over pink eyes at Lando's back, before clambering up and grabbing her phone from the girl's bookshelves, Nicolas Sparks books falling over one another.

_"Hello?" _muttered Akihiko groggily - she had not checked the contact name, though knew it was Suzemeby her crescendoing voice.

"Akihiko - Haruka Nanase is on your swim team, right?"

She blinked at the binding of _The Last Song,_ nodding her head to no one, Lando still snoring. "What? Yeah, he is... Why? Do you... do you have a crush on him?..."

"No! My grandpa just came into my room and woke me up, saying someone is in the pool - guess who it is!"

Akihiko hesitated once more, before it finally seemed to click in her mind, and she sat straight up, already starting to climb off the bed, pulling down her boxer shorts, "Haru's _in your pool?" _she asked, grabbing her glasses and slipping them on - she glanced at herself in Lando's mirror, grimacing as she grabbed for her purse, beginning to rummage through it.

"Dude - I just woke up and there he was! I guess Nagisa told him about it or something. Come fix this! He's just plain out ignoring me!"

Akihiko yanked a miniature brush from her purse, brushing through her hair, tilting her head and wincing when she grazed the tip of her brush along the bruise that was still present and sensitive. "Yeah, alright - I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" Her hair was greasy though she figured she did not have time to fix this at the moment, and only Suzeme and Haruka were going to see her at the moment, and grabbed her purse, putting it over her shoulder and pulling powder foundation from a pocket, glancing in her mirror as she walked down the stairs.

"Alright - my grandpa is freaking out, I'm going to try to calm him down."

"I'll hurry."

Though by then Suzeme had already hung up, Akihiko still covering up the bite-marks with foundation.

* * *

Suzeme sighed, hanging up her phone, pushing open the door to the indoor pool, pulling down the hem of her oversized Fall Out Boy tee-shirt, tiny little shorts covering her legs as she padded across the concrete, make-up from the previous day smeared under her eyes from her not removing it. Her chin-length hair caught the lights overhead, the top of brown shining while the the bottom strands of black gleamed, listening to the water splash while the vice captain of Iwatobi's Swim Club swam around.

She kneeled beside the water, watching his black hear underneath the water before breaking the surface, wading around.

"I called Akihiko," she said, and he glanced into her light-blue eyes with his dark-blue ones, "if you care."

He obviously didn't, because he didn't respond.

"By the way, Haru." she said, and he gave her his attention once again, "You can come swim here, if you want. A text first would be nice, though."

He did not respond, disappearing under the water once more, and she blinked her eyes at him as she watched, combing her fingers through her short locks, and gave a laugh that echoed off the walls, Haruka able to hear it from under the water.

* * *

Akihiko had muttered apologies to Suzeme's grandparents as she walked back to their pool, cheeks slightly red in embarrassment. She pushed open the door, her phone labeling the time of eight thirty when she clicked on it, and Suzeme turned her head towards her, standing up.

"I saw your picture with Daddy Shark, last night, by Takaou's house." said the girl, and Akihiko could see Haruka swimming under the water behind her, "Lando sent it to me. For somebody who hasn't had a boyfriend in over four years, you two didn't look that bad." she smiled, before glancing down at the boy, "He didn't really bother me, and, once my grandpa knew I knew him, he wasn't flipping as bad."

"I'm really sorry, Zeme." Akihiko didn't appear to be okay with the idea of it, however - her voice was as stern as her dry throat allowed it to be. "Haru! Come up here!" she ordered, and he appeared to hear her underwater, for he peeked his eyes over the surface, blowing bubbles in her direction.

"Come on, Haru - I'm here to take you home."

Suzeme hesitated, and waved the hand that didn't hold her phone at them, "Bye, you two - message me later, Aki."

"I will. Haru, what are you doing here?" she grabbed his hand when he grabbed at the concrete, helping him haul himself up as Suzeme went back inside, "It's, like, nine in the morning."

"The school's pool isn't open yet." he said simply, as if that would justify his actions, and she sighed, for that seemed to settle her.

"Alright, alright. How about you go get dressed, alright, and I'll walk you home?" she sniffled, taking her hand back from him and fiddling with the blue diamond pendent of her necklace, smearing water droplets on her neck.

He nodded in response, though suddenly hesitated - he reached out hand and Akihiko recoiled when he touched the little bump of her collarbones, smearing her foundation in a way she found all-too-similar to Rin.

"Did these come from Rin?"

She felt herself get cold, and it didn't seem to be because of the droplets Haruka was dripping on her. She blinked wide eyes, eyelashes still with particles of mascara left over hitting her spectacles.

"... _What?" _she asked, and it came out as a snap, she regretted, "N-no, it's not from Rin-"

"I saw you three walking last night."

She cut herself off as Haruka pulled her hand away, fists clenched at her hands. Was he mad? He didn't seem mad... Unable to think of anything to reply with, she kept quiet, biting a lip that wouldn't of been chaped if not for her illness.

Haruka's eyes glanced into her, though he did not reply to her, walking away to get dressed and leaving Akihiko feeling guilty, though she wasn't a hundred percent sure why.

* * *

She explained to Lando what had happened, and that encounter with Haruka had left her in a somewhat somber mood the whole day - she was feeling slightly like a rebel, as she texted Rin with her phone tilted to the side as if she were planning a crime.

_'Are you coming to practice today?'  
_

It took her a moment to realize the name no longer read _'Daddy Shark', _and instead said_ 'Haru!' _unable to think of a creative enough nickname for the noirette.

She hesitated, thumb hovering over her keypad for a moment before typing a reply, _'Yeah. Of course. I'll be there in a little bit.'_

She blinked at her screen, going back and then clicking on Rin's contact name once the message had sent to Haruka, pausing for a moment before she began typing, nails clacking against her screen.

She was not sure if she was truly lying or not, or why she chose her brother as a scapegoat instead of simply saying she was to go out with Haru, but she typed the message regardless.

_'Hey, I can't walk with you tonight. Sorry, I have other plans with my brother.'_

* * *

**This chapter is awful.**

**I'm so sorry.**

**It's so short. D:**

** .Kittys: Uwah, thanks! I'm really sorry this chapter sucks, though!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

_"Bye, fatty!"_

Akihiko smiled as she waved goodbye to Lando, who's grandmother drove away from Iwatobi's High School - their number one fan was about to go shopping for more make-up, considering the girl's only eyeliner was a green color (she said is looked black in the store, and that she though _teal _was the designer). She turned on the heel of her moccasins, phone in hand in case she got another text from Rin - he said it was fine she couldn't walk, and, Akihiko, still feeling guilty, had said she might still have time for a walk if Nagisa didn't keep her that long.

She sighed after a second when a text didn't arrive, beginning to walk towards the pool. She could hear the slight splashing of water, though, without the normal commotion, she got slightly worried, picking up her pace until she was at the water.

And there was Haruka, wading around in the pool.

She hesitated, clutching her phone in her hands as she stepped towards the edge of the pool, watching the boy swim for a moment before kneeling, dusting her hands along her thighs and waiting for Haruka to come up for air before she started talking.

"Are we early?" she questioned, and he glanced up at her, "... Or is everybody else just late?"

He blinked at her, "There is no practice today." he said, "No one else is coming."

Akihiko froze - she couldn't even try to justify her lie at this point; there was no Nagisa.

"... Oh." she said softly, watching as Haruka swam over to her, her pink eyes following him under the water before she glanced down at her phone, playing with the unlock switch, trying to decide if she should send Rin another message or not.

She heard him break the surface of the water, though did not bother glancing down at the boy, still playing with her phone.

"You didn't cover up the marks that good." he remarked, and she nodded, locking her phone and looking at the reflection of her neck. He was right - it had been a half-assed job, Lando telling the girl to hurry up so she could go buy make-up.

Though he didn't make any noises or gestures of disapproval, Akihiko could tell by the feeling in the air he wasn't very satisfied by her ignoring him - she seemed more interested in her phone then him, she supposed it was a normal reaction.

The girl sighed, followed by a sniffle, to break the silence, removing her purse without glancing up at him. She sat her phone beside her on the concrete, thinking of redoing her foundation though decided against it, just dropping her bag with her phone.

She hesitated when she saw her phone light up, and was unable to see if it was a text from Daddy Shark, Haruka claiming her wrist in his wet hand and yanking the girl into the water with him.

She took in a mouthful of water in surprise; she was unsure if her first thought was _What the hell is he doing? _or _I probably deserve this._

She broke the surface a second later, grabbing hold of the side of the pool with a shaking hand. The smell of chlorine flooded her stuffy nose - which was now clogged with water - and her clothes stuck to her, cami falling down with the weight of water and blue jacket drenched. Her glasses had blotches of water, and she was unable to see out of them, make-up falling in tainted rivulets down her flushed cheeks, once perfectly straightened hair now damp and lifeless.

_"Haruka!" _she snapped out in a scold, though by then the boy was already leisurely swimming away.

She muttered a curse under her breath, grabbing the concrete and attempting to haul herself up. Finally managing it in a humiliating way she hoped Haruka had not seen, she stood, shivering and dripping wet, droplets falling onto her phone and purse. She removed her glasses and threw them down to the concrete, momentarily hoping they hadn't broken, before turning to the pool, opening her mouth and calling out his name again.

_"Haruka!"_

The boy's head appeared on the other side of the pool, blowing bubbles in response to her.

_"What am I going to wear home, Haruka? I am **not **trudging home like this, and I'm not going to get in Lando's grandma's car like **this!"**_

The girl was a true believer that, if she complained enough, she would get what she wanted, and, most of the time, this was true. Though this side was barely seen by the boys of Iwatobi's Swim Team, they could only figure her brother learned his manipulative trait _somewhere._

Perhaps it was a mixture of his sister's influence, as well as his mother's.

"You don't have a jacket in your locker." said the boy, swimming over to her, and he stated his question more as a fact, as if he knew she wouldn't.

"No - and Lando doesn't, either. She cleaned out her locker the other day."

"Maybe your brother left something here."

"Do you not see how big I am, Haru? I _cannot _fit in Nagi's clothes!"

Haruka appeared at the other side of the pool, Akihiko's pink eyes never leaving the blob of black in the pool. After a moment, he spoke with a sigh.

"I'll find you a towel or something to put on her grandma's seat."

_You're damn right you will! _"Thanks, Haru." said the girl after a moment, heaving a sigh as she kneeled, taking the noirette's hand and helping haul him up onto the concrete.

"I did it. It's fine, Aki." said Haru, and once again Akihiko sighed, feeling guilty.

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't of been paying so much attention to my phone. Sorry, Haru."

He however did not reply, walking past the girl to retrieve a towel for her.

* * *

When she'd gotten into Lando's grandmother's car, still dripping wet, her phone and glasses shoved in her purse, she'd muttered a, _'Don't ask,' _though of course Lando did not listen, pestering the girl the whole drive back to the Hazukis'.

"Leave Akihiko alone! Here, sweetie." said her grandmother, pulling her van up to the drive, and Akihiko smiled in the rear view mirror.

"I wasn't talking to you!" said Lando, though by then Akihiko was already out of the car, purse and towel clutched in her hands.

"Wait - _bye, fatty!" _yelled Lando from the window, and Akihiko smiled, barely able to see the van as if drove away.

Her phone dinged as she was walking up her front steps, and she unzipped the front pocket of her purse, grabbing her phone and house key.

_'you here yet? i'm in your backyard.'_

She unlocked the front door and stepped in, typing a reply. _'Yeah, give me a few minutes.'_

She'd texted the boy as soon as Haruka left, leaving her to wait for Lando and her grandmother, telling him she still had time for a walk. She kicked off her wet flip-flops - technically, they were Lando's, considering Akihiko left all her belongings, as well as her moccasins, at her house for the night, not wanting to lug her bags with her. Dropping the towel off in the laundry room, she decided not to strip in case Nagisa was in the house, or if Rin could see her through the glass doors, and headed upstairs. It looked as if her younger brother was taking a nap, curled up in his bed with Hime laying beside him, she could see through his door he'd left open. Walking into her room, Kairi greeted her by hopping off the bed, and she smiled, pulling off her clothes and putting on new underwear and a bra, before grabbing her Iwatobi sweatpants, and, after a hesitant moment, her Iwatobi Swim Team jacket. The thing looked comfy, she supposed, as she zipped it all the way up, not bothering with a cami or tee-shirt for the moment.

Shoving her phone in her pocket, and, after cleaning them off, fitting her glasses on her face, she carried her wet clothes down to the laundry room and shoved them in the washer, telling herself she'd do laundry once she got home, slipping on her own flip-flops before going to meet Rin outside. She smiled as she approached him, and she could see him hesitate, see how he looked taken aback for a moment at her appearance before recovering.

She was unsure if it was because of the swim team's jacket, or the dampness of her hair and black smearing under her eyes.

"Ready?" she asked before he could, voice cracking.

"Ready." he repeated, heading over to jump the fence as he always did, and she smiled, turning back and walking through the house, meeting him on the other side.

The two walked in silence, the sounds of sniffles the only sounds that interrupted them, before Rin spoke up.

"So why do you look like that?" he asked, and she hesitated, turning at him and smiling.

"Wow, rude." she remarked, then shrugged, "Haru pulled me into the pool earlier."

She realized her mistake a second late.

The two of them stopped walking, and, for a moment, it was completely silent - no sniffles or coughs, the two holding their breath. Then, Rin broke the silence.

"... I thought you said you had plans with your brother."

The girl went as cold as his tone, tensing up her shoulders.

"... Well, yeah, but maybe the whole team was there, too-"

"But they weren't, were they?"

She blinked her eyes when she got cut off, and avoided looking at his face, looking at the sidewalk, the road, the fencing beside them, not responding.

He stayed silent for a moment more, and Akihiko could tell he was thinking, brewing up a storm inside him.

Finally: "-You fucking _lied _and went out with Haruka."

She cringed, shaking her head almost immediately, "I didn't go out with him, Rin-"

Though the shark-like boy did not listen to her, voice gradually rising with each and every word he spoke.

"You lied, and went out with _him - _used your brother as an excuse! I realize, maybe I took it too fast or whatever, but still - you fucking did that! There's no way around it! You-"

His wild eyes suddenly landed on the girl's cowering form, who was shaking and had her arms raised to block her face, as if the boy was going to suddenly lash out in a much more physical way.

He hesitated, shoulders going lax, "Akihiko, I-"

Though the girl did not bother listening to him as he had done to her, bolting off past him before he could even react.

* * *

**... I have a feeling this chapter's going to piss off a lot of people.**

**Um, sorry?...**

**But I stayed up late to finish it for you guys!**

**Alright, guys - Homecoming week! Probably the last update until Monday-_ish!_**

**Lord Nebula: I'm glad you asked this, because I actually do kind of have a reason for this which would of probably never been explained and just been in the back of my head! Her mother studied medicine in America while she was a baby, her grandmother ('Nana') taking care of her and Nagi since her father was busy working. Her grandfather also lives in America (while her grandma's still in Japan), so of course she visits him occasionally and gets souvenirs mailed to her and her brother all the time. But, yes, I don't really know too much on Japanese culture, but I try to google a lot of stuff as I go!  
**

** .Kittys: :3 Thanks! Blegh, I know, school gets in the way a lot.**

**Review? :3**


	15. Chapter 15

**It's so awkward to type with fake nails.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

She had thrown open the front door to her house when the skies opened up.

She kicked off her flip-flops, barely stopping to do so, Kairi bolting off the couch to greet her. Akihiko however paid no mind to the dog, stomping up the stairs, Nagisa calling up from the living room at her.

"Onee-chan?!" he cried, clambering off the couch, Hime lumbering behind him slowly, "What's wrong?!"

His sister however did nothing more than slam the door shut in her brother's face, Kairi the only one apparently allowed in at the moment, Nagisa hearing the lock click into spot a second later.

* * *

Not half an hour later, Lando was there.

Her grandmother's van pulled up into the drive, rain pelting down on the windshield. The brunette girl flicked up the collar to her jacket and cowered into that, preparing to run out into the rain, when the boy in the back stopped her.

"Ahh - Lando-chan, wait a minute! I brought an umbrella." said Makoto, grabbing the clear umbrella from beside him in the backseat, opening the door and climbing out, opening the umbrella for her and standing beside the passenger door, waiting for her.

"What a sweet boy." remarked Grandmother, "Not like those assholes, Daichi and Hisao. You should hang out with him more."

"Whatever, grandma." was all Lando responded with, opening the door and getting out, a nonchalant hand waving to her elder. Makoto still stood waiting for her, holding the umbrella up for the two of them, his shoulder damp to make room for her. She smiled at him briefly, joining him underneath the umbrella, her shoulder exposed as well, and the two of them together walked quickly up to the Hazukis' porch, Grandma driving away once she'd made sure they were up the steps.

Makoto closed the umbrella once they were under the cover of the porch, shaking off water droplets, as Lando pulled her purse off her arm, searching through it. Finding her keys, she trifled through them until she found a familiar one, unlocking the door. She stepped into the warm house, Makoto following after her, leaning the umbrella against the wall as Lando removed her shoes. As the boy was doing the same, a hearty bark sounded from the living room, the jingle of metal following as Hime welcomed them.

"Lando-kun!" cried Nagisa, following after his dog, "Thank you so much for coming! I don't know what to do, she won't talk to me!"

"Do you know what happened?" asked the girl, dropping her purse to floor - Hime began sniffing at it, able to smell Osamu and Jun. She unzipped her jacket, shrugging it off; she did not even have to ask, Makoto taking it from her and folding it over his arms.

"No!" said Nagisa, "She came home about an hour ago crying, and just ran up to her room!" The boy suddenly had tears in his eyes, jumping forth and claiming the girl's hands, Hime barking, _"Please, Lando! Do something! Onee-chan's never done anything like this!"_

Lando blinked, quickly removing her hands from his, "Okay, okay! I'll talk to her, Nagisa, just - stop crying! We don't need both of you crying!"

The blonde boy sniffled and nodded, wiping his eyes, "A-alright... Thank you, Lando-kun..."

"Yeah, yeah! Now go sit down! Let me handle this!" she ordered, and Nagisa slowly nodded, stepping backwards to allow the girl to walk forward.

Lando gave a sigh, beginning to walk upstairs, Makoto following after her.

"You don't have to come with me, Mako. You can stay downstairs with Nagi, if you want."

The boy shook his head, "No, it's fine, Lando-chan. I'll just wait outside her room for you."

"If you want, Mako."

Up the stairs, they paused at Akihiko's door - Lando blinked, then sighed and knocked.

"Aki?"

No answer.

_"Aki?"_

No answer.

Lando heaved another sigh, turning to the boy beside her, "Mako, can you run down and grab my purse for me?"

Makoto hesitated, then nodded and left her, still with her jacket in his arms. He returned a moment later, multicolored purse in his hands, handing it off to her. She took it without a word, digging through it and claiming her wallet - she yanked out her student ID, and, when Makoto gave her a confused look, she slid it through the crack in the door. The lock popped open, and she gave a victorious smile, dropping her belongings back in her purse, pushing open the door.

Kairi's collar jingled as the dog rose its head, looking up at Lando as she entered the room. Puffy pink eyes turned when her dog did, squinting to try to make out who stood in her doorway, glasses cast off to the side.

Lando gave a glance back at Makoto, before closing the door behind her, walking over to the door. "So what did Rin do?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed, right beside Kairi.

Akihiko sniffled, leaning back on her pillows, one hand petting Kairi's head, "How did you know it was him?" she asked, eyes still on her dog.

"Because I'm not stupid." said Lando, smiling at her friend, who did nothing more then rub her eyes.

"He yelled at me." said the girl simply, and Lando blinked her eyes.

"... About what?" inquired the other brunette, and Akihiko shrugged.

"... Akihiko, tell me."

"No."

"Why?"

"It's stupid."

Lando sighed, leaning back on her hands on the bed, "Just tell me, Aki."

Akihiko sighed as well, rubbing Kairi's ear between her fingers, "You know how you and Grandma dropped me at the school to go watch the boys practice?"

"Yeah."

"It wasn't the team, just Haru. And, well. I told Rin."

"He wasn't very happy?"

"He was _pissed. _It's my fault, I know... I told him I had something to do with Nagi then slipped up and said I was with Haru... He started yelling, and I... I put my arms up, like he was gonna _hit me _or something. And now I'm just embarrassed by the whole entire thing and-"

"Why are you embarrassed?" asked Lando.

"Well, for one," began Akihiko, "I lied to him. For two, I legit acted like he was gonna throw a punch at me."

"That's not your fault." said Lando, and Akihiko sighed, laying down on her bed, sprawling out.

"Whatever. I'm done talking about this, alright? It happened, and... yeah. He's pissed, I'm pretty pissed, too."

"You think he'll get over it?"

That caused the pink-eyed girl to pause, blinking up at her ceiling. "... I don't know."_ He hasn't gotten over that race with Haru, and that was a few years ago..._

_Shit, what am I going to do?_

Lando nodded slowly, even though her friend wasn't looking at her. _Four years, _she thought, _After four years, I thought she might of had a boyfriend._

_He's such a dick._

* * *

Akihiko was feeding Kairi the crust from the pizza the two girls had ordered when a rock hit her window.

They all jumped, including the dog, who choked on her scraps before recovering, rushing over to the window and barking. Lando and Akihiko stared at each other for a moment, before suddenly Akihiko bolted, shoving open her curtains with a cuss.

"It's that dick, isn't it?!" snapped Lando through a mouthful of pizza, standing up, throwing the half-eaten slice of cheese pizza back into its box, "You know what? I'm going to tell him where he can shove those pencils he and Daichi threw at me!"

Akihiko however did not reply, sliding off her bed and rushing out her room and down the stairs, Kairi and Lando close behind her. The three ran out into the living room, Akihiko pausing and stepping towards her younger brother, gently pushing on his chin to close his mouth.

"Chew with your mouth closed." she muttered to him, ruffling his hair with one hand, removing one slice of pizza from his hands and placing it back in the box, "And only one at a time."

Nagisa nodded, though appeared to be paying his sister no mind, looking past her at the T.V.

Makoto glanced up from them as Akihiko rushed off, "Where are you two going?" he asked.

"Nowhere." called Akihiko in the same breath as Lando said, "Rin's out in the backyard."

Nagisa suddenly shot up, dropping his pizza, which Kairi swooped up before he could stop her. He swallowed, an incredulous face present, _"What?!" _he snapped, before following after his sister, grabbing her wrist before she could open the glass doors, _"Onee-chan, go sit down!"_

Akihiko hesitated, "What-"

Nagisa led her back to the couch against her protests, sitting her down, "Hime-chan, Kairi-chan, come on!" he ordered, clapping his hands against his thighs as he walked back to the doors, and, as the two dogs ran after the boy, Makoto stood and went after them, Lando trailing.

Akihiko hesitated, standing back up as the glass doors were opened, and went over to them, though the three stood in her way on the back porch, not allowing her to run out. The dogs' collars were held by Nagisa, who held them back from running after the redheaded boy who stood, leaning against the trunk of the tree that led up to Akihiko's window. The rain had calmed down, though still fell down in a steady drizzle.

Hearing the sliding doors opened, Rin's eyes shifted to them, eyebrows raised at the sight of the two swimmers and their number one fan.

"... I didn't come here to you three." said the boy, pushing off the tree, though didn't leave the cover to the branches above him, protecting him from the rain.

Lando gave an annoyed grumble, _"You shouldn't even be here." _though Makoto placed a hand to her shoulder before she could walk off the protection of the porch to Rin.

Rin scoffed at her, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket, "Should you? I didn't realize you lived here."

Lando's shoulders tensed under Makoto's hands, and her voice took on a _'I'm-better-than-you,' _tone, as it often did when she was in a verbal fight, "Actually, _yes, _I should be here, _dick. I _had to pick up the pieces when you yelled at Aki. _And, _for your information, I have a _key. _So obviously, I have more of a right to be here than you."

"I think that should be left up to the people who actually live here."

Brown and red eyes clashed, both glaring at each other, holding the stare, daring the other to speak once more. Rin's eyes shifted, however, when he saw a head of wild, un-straightened brown hair from behind Lando's shoulder, and he rose his voice to address her.

"Well, Aki? Do you want me here?"

The girl jumped, and Lando took a protective step forward, the only thing holding her back from walking off the porch and to the boy Makoto's hands. Akihiko however did not get a chance to reply, however, for Nagisa suddenly let go of the dogs' collars - both Kairi and Hime rushed over to Rin, Kairi's muddy paws jumping up onto his chest.

_"Ow - fuck, get down, retard!"_

That seemed to strike a nerve, for Hime gave a string of warning barks to the redhead, and Akihiko stepped forward, right foot stomping onto the porch.

_"Don't talk to Kairi like that!" _snapped Akihiko, and Rin hesitated, glancing up at her.

"Kairi, come here!" called the girl, and, after a moment, the smaller dog lowered its head, tail drooped as it returned to her owner, who pet her head, effectively reviving Kairi's normally cheerful attitude.

Nagisa bent down, "Hime-chan, you too! Come here!" he said, though the older dog was not as easily swayed, staring up at Rin with wary eyes, teeth bared, as if she knew this was the one to make her owner's dear sister cry.

_"Hime-chan." _Nagisa patted his knees, and, after a tense moment, Hime backed down, heading slowly back over to the blonde boy.

Rin stared up at them, and that was when Makoto spoke up, stepping off the porch and into the rain, "I think it'd be best if you'd left, Rin-chan." said the boy, and Rin hesitated, glancing over the boy's broad shoulder at the three still on the porch.

His eyes finally found Akihiko, though she glanced away quickly as if she hadn't seem him, still petting Kairi's head.

Rin scoffed once more, turning on his heel without a reply; he did not look back at them as he stalked over to the fence, grabbing hold of it and hauling himself over it.

* * *

**Dooonnnneeee~! This chapter's the end of my notes, but I'm pretty sure that I know what I'm doing next! Probably the tournament!**

**I'm actually really proud of this chapter~ I hope it uploads, cause I know FF's been having some issues.  
**

**MikaChesire: She shouldn't lie! XD Here's the next chapter~!**

**faded colors: I'm glad you like Aki & Lando! And I'll make sure this chapter uploads, then I'll go and take that down from the first chapter. :3 Also, your one reply is back now xD I actually kind of have an idea as why they like each other from their childhood, or at least why they felt they'd need to walk together in the beginning, but I'm not sure where I'd put it in. I'm really happy that you like the OCs I have, because at first I wasn't sure how I felt about them and was going to have it be a Reader Insert, but I'm glad I didn't. :3 And, yeah, I do have some issues here and there for grammar - I try to go through and get everything, though! xD**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

The last few nights were spent with Akihiko fawning over her phone, jumping at any text message she received.

Though not one came in from Rin.

The days were spent playing Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda, the two girls positive they'd gained a few pounds within the previous four days. Akihiko had no way to justify this anymore - there was no more Rin to walk with, though she supposed she could go out with Kairi alone or with Lando. By the morning of the tournament the Iwatobi Swim Team was participating in, the bruises on Akihiko's neck had almost faded, just little purple marks that no one would see if they didn't know what they were looking for.

Lando rolled out of bed around an hour after Akihiko's alarm clock had been turned off, hearing the girl humming from her vanity, able to hear her music blaring from her headphones.

"Akihiko." said the girl on the bed, though her friend paid her no mind, continuing to hum along, straightening her hair.

_"Akihiko." _repeated Lando, sitting up groggily, grabbing for a pillow.

_"She met a shark in the water, fell and no one caught her-"_

_"Akihiko!"_ The purple pillow was chuckled directly at her friend's head - Akihiko cried out, dropping her straightener, burning her thumb as her legs scrambled to get out of the way. She threw the pillow back onto the bed, with a shriek of, _"What, Lando?!"_

Lando's arms crossed her bust, "When do we have to leave?" she asked, and her friend sighed, leaning down and picking up her straightener, turning off her music and unplugging the headphones from her phone.

"Half an hour." she said, turning to herself in the mirror, running a hand through her hair.

"Why didn't you wake me up?!" snapped Lando, climbing out of the bed, grabbing her glasses.

"I've woken you up, like, six times! You just keep going back to sleep!" said Akihiko, and, apparently deciding her hair was straight enough, she put the straightener to the side for her friend who had done her hair the night before, though still needed to do touch-ups, holding her breath as she coated her hair with hairspray.

"You should of kept trying!" said Lando, stealing Akihiko's brush and yanking it through her hair as the other girl began to dig through her make-up bag. Pulling off her glasses, she could barely hear her phone ding over Lando's complaining, though when she sat it light up, she grabbed for it and held it up to her face to see the words.

_'Daddy Shark.'_

_"Lando! Lando, Lando, Landolandolandolando!"_

_"What?!"_

Akihiko shoved her phone into the girl's face, who pulled it away, glancing at the name.

"That _dick _- thinking he can just text you like this!" Her thumb swiped across the screen, typing in Nagisa's birthday, and Akihiko cried out, grabbing her phone back.

"Lando - _Stop! _Let me text him back!"

_'you gonna be at the tournament today?'_

"You're actually going to text him back?!" asked Lando with an incredulous face.

Akihiko rolled her eyes, "I can't really just ignore him - I mean, that's pretty immature, isn't it?"

_"He's _pretty immature!" said Lando, boiling, though her friend didn't reply, beginning to type a response to Rin.

_'Of course I am. Why?'_

He replied several moments later, after Akihiko's eyes were rimmed with brown and eyelashes longer.

_'just wondering.'_

* * *

On the bus, seated in-between her brother and Lando, she had gotten a call from a _very _distressed Allen.

_"Aki? __**Where are you?! **__You made it to regionals - I even asked Kuhn! So where the hell are you?!"_

Se cringed, shrinking down into her Iwatobi Swim Team jacket, seeing the eyes of her fellow members shift to her. "... Umm..."

"Did you _forget?!"_

"No! Of course I didn't forget!" she objected, feeling her anger flare up at the boy.

"Then _where are you?!"_

Lando's eyes blinked to her friend - for the day, she wore a bright yellow cami to match the team's Iwatobi-chan tee-shirt, Akihiko's blue jacket on over it. "What's that idiot talking about?" she asked, and Akihiko didn't reply.

_"Aki?" _repeated Allen, _"Did you hang up on me?!"_

"No! I didn't! Just..." she trailed off, muttering it under her breath, raising eyebrows around her.

"I can't hear you, Aki! _Ohmygoddd-"_

_"I'm not going to Regionals! I'm at my brother's swim tournament instead!"_ she blurted out, and, knowing the boy on the other line was about to have a full-fledged panic attack, she hung up, holding her phone in her lap, avoiding the eyes of her teammates.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Nagisa's hands clasped down onto his sister's.

_"Onee-chan!" _he cried, tugging her into him, and she attempted to push him away, _"You've gone to regionals ever since eighth grade, though!"_

"So it isn't that big of a deal. Besides, there's always next year, Nagi. Now get off of me!" she ordered, and attempted to push him off again, though his grip was like iron.

_"Onee-chan!"_

_"Nagisa, let go of me!"_

* * *

Waiting out in the hallway, she was leaning against the wall, one hand in the pocket of her jacket while the other played with her phone. Lando had a rule about public bathrooms, and that was that she _didn't _use them, though she had forgotten to use the restroom before they'd left and could no longer hold it.

Akihiko sighed, shoving her phone in her pocket, and was about to pull chapstick from her other pocket when she recognized a familiar golden-eyed Captain walking down the hallway towards her. Catching sight of the brunette girl against the wall, he gave an enthusiastic wave her way, which she slowly returned.

"Akihiko!" he greeted, stopping in front of her, "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh... My brother's on Iwatobi's Swim Team, and I'm their secretary, so... Here I am." she said, and Seijuro's smile never faltered.

"Oh! That's good, so we'll see more of you. When will you be back at Samezuka? I asked Rin, but he won't say." he shrugged, though was still beaming.

She hesitated, unsure what to say, and stuttered for a moment, "U-um, well... I'm not really sure, either... W-where is Rin, speaking of him?..."

"He didn't ride the bus with us here, but I'm sure he'll show up eventually." he shrugged once more, "Hey, I've gotta go, alright? I'll see you later!" he called, and waved at her, beginning to walk down the hallway.

She raised her hand, giving a single wave as Lando exited the bathroom, wiping her damp hands on her jeans.

"Who were you talking too?" she asked, and followed Akihiko's finger as it pointed to the broad man walking away.

"The Captain of Samezuka's Swim Team. I met him when Rin brought me to Samezuka."

Lando's eyes turned to her friend, who did not turn away from Seijuro's back, where _'Samezuka' _sat in-between those broad shoulders.

"Hey, you okay?"

Pink eyes blinked, before glancing at Lando, a confused glint in them, "What? Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Lando shrugged, not replying, "No reason. Come on, let's get out there with the team." she took Akihiko's hand, beginning to pull the girl down the hall, who stayed quiet, feeling for her phone in her pocket.

_Rin's not here yet?..._

_Where is he?..._

* * *

**I feel like this chapter's really bad, and it's short. But I feel kinda dizzy. I need to start writing notes again instead of just winging it.**

**Also: I have an idea for a new Free! fic, but I'm not sure about it. We're about to read 'The Crucible' in my English class, and we had to research stuff about it, and I learned that, if you could swim, you could be considered a witch. Would you guys be up for it, and would you prefer it a yaoi, or would you want to see like Aki, Lando, and Suzeme in it?**

**Review? I see a lot of you favoriting and following, and I appreciate it a lot, but how about some reviews? :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**I had to get off the Rintori tag. **

**So: SPOILERS! Last episode... UWAH! My wifi went out Tuesday night like right after I posted chapter 16 and just came back on earlier today! I brought my Ipod with me on Wednesday to try to watch the episode there, but I just kept getting distracted - I was finally able to watch the whole thing today! I cried. And cried. And cried. **

_**Rin.**_**Okay, so maybe I hated you at first. But, ****_please, _****never ever cry again.**

**Yeah, I did hate Rin in the beginning, okay? But look at me now. Writing fanfiction about him.**

**And I do ship Rintori, and they called each other by their first names and-**

**SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER OH MY GOD YES. PLEASE, WE NEED A SECOND SEASON. (I'm a little upset Rei didn't swim...)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

"Wow - you go all of this information yourself, Kou?"

"Yeah - Aki-chan helped me, some, too!"

At her name, the brunette girl rose her head from her palm, glancing over at her team.

"What? Oh - no, I didn't really do that much. Just asked Daichi what he knew about the other schools' sports teams." she shrugged her shoulders, before glancing back to the teams who were filing out below her, looking for a certain face. She didn't listen if they responded to her, only glancing up again when she heard Lando's voice from beside her.

"I don't see Rin... Has he texted you again?" her friend asked, and Akihiko shrugged, producing her phone from her pocket and typing in Nagisa's birthday.

"No... He hasn't." she sighed, thumbs circling the keypad before she rolled her eyes at herself, locking her phone and shoving it into the pocket of her jacket.

Lando shrugged as well, leaning against the bar, "I'm sure he'll show up eventually."

_"Eventually." _repeated Akihiko with a sneer, then she curled her nose in disgust, seemingly at herself, "I'm not here for him, though. I'm here for _my team." _she used her hand to gesture to the boys in their blue jackets, accidentally hitting Makoto in his arm - she apologized, and he smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning into her.

"Have you heard from Rin?" he asked, and, while Akihiko blinked, Lando replied for her.

"He texted her earlier, asking if she was coming, but we haven't heard anything from him since." said Lando with a shrug.

"He'll be here soon, though, I mean." Akihiko amended, then shook her head, "Don't worry about him, though, Mako. You have your own team to deal with." she smiled at him, and he hesitated, smiling back.

However, as he walked away to speak with Haruka, her curiosity got the better of her, and she dug her phone out of her pocket once again.

_'Hey, where are you?' _she texted to Daddy Shark, and stood, staring at the screen of her phone, waiting for a reply.

He didn't text back.

* * *

_"Oh! Haru-chan and Rin-chan are up next!"_

Akihiko perked at the mention of his name, turning her attention down to the preparing line, spotting that sharp-toothed redhead right behind her black-haired teammate.

_"Who are you cheering for, Matsuoka-san?"_

Her grip tightened on the railing at that question, Lando turning to her, voice low.

"What about you?" she asked, nudging Akihiko, "Rin, or Haru?"

Akihiko didn't reply for a moment, eyes trained on the swimmers. "... Honestly? I don't know. Haru's on my team, but... Just imagine how much more it would piss off Rin."

Lando shrugged, her attention back on the pool, "Ah, that's true."

She reasoned with herself that, no, she could not cheer for both of them as Kou was doing. She had to chose - and, whether or not she was entirely okay with that, she was unsure.

She watched both of their forms, the two beside each other - she listened to the booming voice overhead, the whistle, the splash of water.

Her hands clenched on the railing, Lando leaning over it to see around them - Akihiko could hear her brother, Rei, and Makoto speaking beside her, though she did not register what they were saying, until the second leg, Makoto taking a breath.

_"Haru!"_

_"Haruka-senpai!"_

She glanced beside her, and Rei and Nagisa and Makoto, and her hands tightened on the railing, her knuckles turning white. Akihiko turned back to the pool.

She took a deep breath, before yelling out.

**_"Go! Come on, Haru!"_**

This seemed to encourage Lando, for she cupped her hands around her mouth, bellowing out, _**"Haruuuukaaaaa! You've got this!"**_

The two boys surfaced, panting for breath, and all eyes glanced up at the scoreboard.

_1 - Rin Matsuoka._

_2 - Haruka Nanase.  
_

Akihiko's grip loosened on the railing, some feeling going back into her hand, while Lando struck the bar with her knuckle.

_"Oww - _That's crap! That dick doesn't deserve that!"

The girl held her bruised knuckle up to her eyes, inspecting it for blood.

Akihiko however stayed quiet, for once not voicing how stupid her friend's actions were, watching Rin in the water. She heard the Samezuka Team cheering, and briefly glanced over, catching sight of Nitori, before turning back to Rin, who was now climbing from the pool.

She was not sure what Rin had said, unable to hear so, but by his smug grin and Haruka's stare, she knew that, whatever he had said, it was a good enough reason for her to be angry at him for.

And angry she was.

* * *

She did not pay attention when Goro came - Lando knew him from their trip to the island with the use of his boat, so therefore introductions were not needed. She sat beside her friend in the bleachers behind her brother, flipping her phone around in her hands - she decided their was no use in texting Rin and explaining her anger; it wasn't as if he'd have it with him. During all that time, she only glanced up once, and that was when Seijuro Mikoshiba's record was set.

And then Rei stood.

She looked up once more, watching as Makoto tried to stop him. Then Makoto followed after the bluenette, and Nagisa, and - well, Akihiko couldn't very well let her little brother wander off alone, could she? She took off after them, not even bothering to stop and wait for Lando when she was told too.

She saw Makoto grab Rei's wrist, telling him to stop - though, what came next, she was not sure, because Lando elbowed her in her side and pointed forward, where Rin Matsuoka was walking towards their group.

_"Rin-chan!"_

"You guys?... Oh, right. You're all swimming in the tournament."

Akihiko attempted to look over Makoto's broad shoulders while staying behind the protection of his sturdy build, though, unable to see Rin, she stepped forward and nudged aside her brother lightly - surrounded by the swimmers, she felt safe, Lando stepping beside Nagisa, a look in her eyes that just _dared _the redhead to speak to her.

"Hey, Rin-chan, have you seen Haru-chan?" she heard her brother ask, though she did not turn away from Rin.

"Haru?"

"He hasn't come back yet..."

There was a pause - then that snicker that made Akihiko's fists tighten at her sides, and she was glad Makoto was there to sense it and take hold lightly of her clenched hand.

_"Was losing to me that big of a shock?"_

The girl winced as if he'd been speaking of her, and her nails dug into her palm.

"He's the one that said that he didn't care about winning or improving his time."

She was aware of the look Rei was giving him, and the way his hand went to his chin in thought, "There must be some other reason."

"Yeah," said Lando, "It's called Daddy Shark over here being a _dick. _But is that really anything new?"

Rin however ignored her comment, turning to Rei, "What?" he asked, an eyebrow raising, "What else matters in swimming other than winning?!"

Her hands tightened again, and Makoto gave them a brief squeeze.

"There is more."

They all hesitated, eyes glancing up at Makoto, who continued speaking, "At least, Haru thought there was something more. That's why he wanted to race you."

Akihiko blinked, loosening her fist and wrapped her fingers with the Captain of Iwatobi's Swim Team, returning that brief squeeze.

"And I'm pretty sure you're the one who taught him what that something was. When we swam in that relay-"

"What do I care?!"

Akihiko hesitated, eyes glancing away from Makoto, to the fuming redhead.

_"I beat Haru! That's all that matters."_

He walked past them all, shoulder-bumping Lando, hard, enough to make the girl stumble back into Nagisa. She flashed him an incredulous look, and the hand that didn't hold Akihiko's went up to her shoulder.

"A relay?... Did you guys swim in a relay with him in the past?..."

Akihiko didn't turn away from Rin's back, letting the others reply, until the topic of their races came up. She squeezed Makoto's hand, and the boy hesitated, glancing down at her.

"Mako?" she asked, looking up at him, frown evident on her face.

"Good luck on your race. All of you, boys." she turned, addressing the two lower-classmen, and, after a moment, she smiled.

* * *

When her brother ran off for the second time to find Haruka, Akihiko did not chase after him - instead, she moved down a row, taking Nagisa's seat, sitting beside Rei and moving flush against him so Lando would have room to sit.

Though, when Makoto's race started, they jumped back up.

_"Go, go, go, go, go, Makoto!"_

Goro was the leader of their chant, the team repeating after him - Lando was noticeably the loudest of them, hands cupped around her mouth for emphasis.

_"Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, Makoto!"_

"Not loud enough! You've gotta shout from your belly! _Especially you, Rei! Don't be shy! Listen to Lando! Do you hear her?! Try to be more like that!"_

Lando laughed, flashing a smile and a shrug.

_"Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, Makoto!"_

Akihiko broke off her chanting, leaning over the rails, Lando's yelling loud enough for the both of them. She hugged onto the rails, only letting go when the scoreboard showed the number _2 _beside Makoto Tachibana's name.

Lando took this worse than Haruka's defeat, raising enough commotion that Akihiko was sure they were going to get kicked out.

* * *

Nagisa was next.

Akihiko high-fived her brother when he'd stood from the bleachers, beaming at him, which he gladly returned. She remarked how pale he was in comparison to the other swimmers when they were all on their starting blocks, resulting in laughter from her team, though she was jittery with excitement, gripping onto the railing for support.

_"Go, go, go, go, go, Nagisa!"_

Akihiko stayed, leaning over the railing as she cheered for her brother, gripping onto it to keep herself standing straight.

_"Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, Nagisa!"_

She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, though she did not turn away from her brother, not even bothering to check it when the race was over. She hugged onto her brother when he returned to him, promising him he did _fine, _and, as Rei stood, she turned to him.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Rei-chan?" asked Nagisa as his sister's hold loosened.

"I've got this." he replied, and, before he could continue, Lando's hand clapped down on his shoulder.

"Yeah, see, Nagisa! _He's got this! _Don't freak him out!" she smiled, "Good luck, Rei!"

"U-um... Thank you, Layton-senpai-"

"It's Lando!" she cut him off before he could finish, and he nodded with vigor.

He found Lando terrifying.

* * *

Lando and Akihiko clasped hands at the discovery of Rei's askew goggles - they still cheered loudly, however, even to the end, and, by the time they were making their way out to their cars at the end of the day, they both had dry throats. Akihiko remembered her phone at this time, retrieving it from her pocket, shocked to see Daddy Shark's name present.

_'why were you and makoto holding hands?'_

She chose to continue ignoring the text, shoving her phone into her pocket.

She hugged one side of Rei, while Lando held the other, as he apologized.

"You might of qualified if your goggles hadn't slipped off!"

Akihiko squeezed the side she had ahold of, "I'm sure my brother's right, Rei. There's always next time."

"That seems a little far-fetched..."

They said their goodbyes to Ama-chan and Goro, until they all stood with their shadows behind them, quiet for a few seconds.

"... It's over."

"Yeah..."

"It would of been nice to of gone to regionals..."

"Don't talk like that, Rei! We've got it, next time for sure."

Lando and Akihiko smiled at each other, the voices of the boys drowning them out, until Kou spoke up.

"No... It's not too late."

Eyes blinked, before they all turned to their manager.

"There's still the second day of the tournament tomorrow!"

Akihiko hesitated, "But... I thought the boys weren't signed up for that?..."

"The first day is the individual and relay... and the second day is..." Makoto hesitated, turning to the redhead girl, "Gou-chan, don't tell me-"

She cut him off, going in front of all of them, clapping her hands together, "I'm sorry! I signed you up for the medley relay in secret!"

The three boys all blanched, while Akihiko beamed.

"So if we win the relay..."

"We can go to regionals!"

"This is all too sudden!" objected Makoto, "We didn't practice at all for the relay!"

Akihiko smiled, walking over to Kou, turning to face them, Lando giving her questioning look. "I think you should do it." she said, and Makoto hesitated at her.

"- Aki-chan-"

"What do you have to lose, right?" she smiled, and shrugged, "I missed regionals to come watch you boys _go to regionals, _understand? You should at least try. And, to be honest," Another shrug, her hands addressing the team in front of her, "I have no doubt in my mind you boys can pull through."

Lando hesitated, then joined her friend, standing beside her.

"So, boys? How about we show Samezuka what a _real _swim team is like?" said Akihiko, remembering Rin's words - they stayed quiet for a moment, before Rei spoke up.

"... Let's do it."

They all gave him a shocked look, save Akihiko, who smiled at him.

"This is our final chance!" he said, stepping towards Lando - he still made sure not to touch her, however. "We haven't practiced for the relay, but it's still worth a shot!"

Makoto and Nagisa stared for a second - they glanced at each other, and, finally, they turned back and nodded.

* * *

**I'm actually kinda proud of this chapter.**

**I know I'm gonna read through it like tomorrow though and find a lot of stuff wrong with it.**

**I was gonna write the rest of the episode, but I have to go to bed before my mom yells at me! D: Night! :3**


	18. Chapter 18

**LOOONNNGGG weekend! D: Sorry for just now getting around to posting this! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Makoto led them into the back of Haruka's house - they all jogged after him, even Akihiko and Lando. Those two the girls looked through the house together, Lando turning it upside down, her friend making sure to pick up whatever mess she left behind her.

They had finally all gathered in one room, sitting at the table, Lando with her knees tucked beside her on one side of the table. The girl had thrown her hair up into a bun while searching for the noirette, and she was currently tapping one nail against the table in a repeating rhythm.

"He's still not here..." remarked Gou, though the other two girls didn't bother looking over their shoulders at the clock upon the wall

Nagisa gave a pout, "Where'd he go?..."

Rei stared at the table over his glasses, "What if..." his voice trailed off, and they all stared at him, aside from Makoto, who sat outside.

Nagisa suddenly shot up, their eyes turning to Akihiko's younger brother as his hands landed on the table, "Rei-chan!" he scolded, "Don't say scary stuff with that look on your face!"

"I didn't say anything yet!" objected Rei, "But-"

"Don't worry."

All hesitated, glancing to Makoto's broad back, "Haru's not that weak."

Akihiko was glad the Captain had intervened - she was about to do so herself.

"Oh!" exclaimed her brother, "His cellphone! Let's call him!"

_"Haruka-senpai has a cellphone?!"_

"Why didn't you say something earlier?!"

Lando's face was incredulous when she glanced to Akihiko, "That dolphin _dick! _He told me he didn't have a cellphone when I asked for his number!"

_"Probably for good reason, Lando-kun!"_

That wide-eyed, open-mouthed look was cast to the little blonde boy at that comment, and Akihiko smiled, standing up and bending down over her brother as he dialed the Vice Captain's number. He pressed it to his ear, and they all waited, listening to it ring - finally, _'You have reached the voice mail box-'_

_"He probably didn't answer for good reason." _mocked Lando from the other side of the table.

_"Please leave your name and a message after the tone."_

"Leave a message!"

Akihiko hesitated, crossing her legs and sitting down beside her brother as the beep sounded.

"Haru-chan? Where are you right now?"

The phone was past to Rei, Akihiko watching it being handed off in-between her.

"Please hurry home. We're all worried."

Next was Gou - she took the phone with an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, Haruka-senpai! _I signed everybody up for the medley relay!"_

And then Akihiko; she hesitated, fumbling, and Lando stood, walking over and plopping down beside her friend.

"D-don't be mad at Gou-chan, Haru! She just wanted to help - and we'll all be there to cheer-"

She was cut off, Lando speaking over her. "Y'know," she said, "when I asked you for your number, you could of just _ignored _me, you didn't have to _lie-"_

Nagisa pulled the phone over to his mouth, though it stayed in his sister's hands. "Anyway - let's all swim together tomorrow, Haru-chan!"

Rei took hold of the phone, pulling it over to him, both of the Hazuki siblings' hands still holding on, "I'll be fine!" said the bluenette, "I'll have the theory memorized by tomorrow!"

Nagisa pulled his phone away from the other two. "Rei-chan, that's a sure sign you'll fail!"

"I just have to memorize the theory for how not to fail, also!"

A beep interrupted the two's bickering, drawing the eyes back to Nagisa's phone.

_"Your message has ended."_

Gou hesitated, "Will Haruka-senpai come home after listening to such a sloppy message...?"

"It's okay!" said Nagisa, "Our chaotic message has what it takes to touch Haru-chan deep down!"

Lando hesitated, glancing away from them, pointing towards a blinking green light, "Hey," she said, "whose phone is that?"

They all hesitated, following her finger, and Nagisa groaned.

_"Haru-chan left his phone here!"_

**_"What?!"_**

"Haru usually doesn't carry his phone around with him." said Makoto, looking back at all of them, and they all gave a sigh, Lando standing back up.

"It's getting late." said the Captain, watching her stand, "We should head home."

"But-"

"I don't think Haru-chan will swim tomorrow. We'll have to forfeit."

The five inside hesitated, glancing down, all except for Lando and Akihiko, who shared a look.

* * *

_"What?! Haru-chan did?!"_

Akihiko had been able to hear her brother's voice, even down the hall, in her dream, and was also able to hear Hime's excited bark and Kairi's collar jingle as she jumped up. The girl however pushed this aside, until-

_"Onee-chan! Come here!"_

She groaned, blinking eyes open, barely able to see out of the curtain of brown hair that had found the way into her face. She pushed it aside, seeing familiar purple walls, hearing the ceiling fan circulating above.

_"Onee-chan!"_

Kairi hopped off the bed, running across plush cream-colored carpet, jumping up and clawing against the wood door.

**_"Come here!"_**

Another groan, and Akihiko threw her purple comforter back, grabbing her glasses and fitting them on her face. She grabbed the brown dog plushie that she slept with off the floor - he must of been thrown off the bed in her sleep - and dropped him on the bed, standing up, legs fully on display. She walked over to her dog, her reflection in the vanity across the room - pale legs exposed by her black underwear, cami barely covering her, though she paid no mind - _he woke her up._

She threw her door open, drawings from Lando and Asuka and Suzeme ruffling on the walls from the gust the door caused, storming down the hallway, Kairi running ahead of her. She stopped at her brother's door, shoving it open, Hime barking as Kairi jumped up on the bed.

"Onee-chan - _uwah, Onee-chan, go put some pants on!"_

_"Don't tell me what to do! Why are you screaming down the hallway at me?!"_

_"Go put some pants on, then I'll tell you!"_

_"I just told you not to tell me what to do!"_

_"Onee-chan!"_

_"Nagisa!"_

_"Onee-chan!"_

**_"Nagisa."_**

He pouted to cover up his fear, "Mako-chan just called! Haru-chan is going to swim with us today!"

* * *

Several streets over, Lando whined at the sound of her phone ringing - she normally turned it on vibrate for the night so no one would disturb her, though had never gotten around to it, texting Makoto until either he or she had fallen asleep - she was not sure who was first to pass out. A blanket hung from her window so absolutely no light could seep in, her room pitch black - she could barely see her multicolored walls, the only light coming from some paid program on her tiny T.V. in the corner, right beside her bookshelf, which was lined with DVDs and books; scary movies took up one whole row, while the Nicholas Sparks' movies had two rows dedicated to themselves - the other three shelves were stocked full of books, Sparks' books falling over each other.

She did not bother sitting up, hand reaching out and searching blindly for her phone on the table beside it - finally finding it, she accepted the call without looking for who it was.

"Hello...?" she greeted groggily, rubbing at her eyes, her bun falling out atop her head.

Listening in, she gave another whine.

_"You called me for **that?"**_

* * *

Six of them stood there, looking out, waiting - Lando gave a yawn, bun moving with her head, her elbow knocking with Makoto's. She had woken up not an hour earlier, and had not even ran a brush through her hair - they were lucky she redid her bun, she assumed. She wore no make-up, the jeans from the day previous - the ones she had slept in, still present. She had at first felt self-conscious next to Akihiko, who had taken a shower the night previous, having a good three hours to get her hair pin-straight and make-up done.

She saw Ama lean over to speak with the team, though she didn't listen, another yawn racking through her. Akihiko shot her a look, though she was unsure if it was scolding or another.

Lando was about to fall asleep standing up when Nagisa and Rei came running up. She didn't listen to their answer as to why they were gone - _Maybe they were banging. - _and fist-pumped the air a moment later than everyone else.

And, as the team began to head inside, Makoto's hand found hers, guiding her along.

* * *

_**"GO, MAKOTO!"**_

"You should stop yelling in my ear."

Akihiko's hand grabbed hold of Lando's jaw, pushing her face away, though their eyes never left the pool. The girl with her hair up had suddenly got a boost of energy when she saw all the boys getting prepared for the relay, though she was still complaining how she could _really _go for a caramel frappe.

"Aki."

"What?"

She still did not look away from her brother's breaststroke, though Lando was leaning over her, staring at something.

"You see that?"

She hesitated, tearing her eyes from the pool, following her friend's gaze.

And there was Rin.

"Oh - _Come on, Rei!" _The two girls yelled this in unison when they saw him jump, and, for a moment, they felt those red eyes flit to them - they sat, almost frozen, refusing to look back until he looked back to the pool.

And then, finally-

_**"Haruka! Go! Come on!"**_

Though his eye twitched at the cheering that came from the girls in the bleachers, Rin did not turn away from Iwatobi Swim Team's lane.

* * *

**This is short, but I like it.  
**

** .556: Uwah, thanks! :3 Love you too! :D**

**Lord Nebula: Yeah, I've been kind of off because of everything I've had to do for Homecoming, and I was a little stressed out by that, but now that that's over I should be back on track pretty soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Lando and Akihiko clasped hands as Haruka jumped off the starting block - no more glances were cast Rin's way at the moment, eyes glued to the noirette. They didn't turn to look at Nagisa when he yelled out; they did not even bother to cheer, too absorbed too distract themselves.

The second leg, he passed another - their grip on each other tightened, knuckles turning white, Haruka now even with another swimmer.

When he passed the boy, the grip loosened - both girls jumped, Akihiko almost missing the high-five Lando offered. Ecstatic smiles were on both their faces, leaning over the railing and shouting out congratulations to their team - Nagisa tackled Haruka, wrapping arms and legs around him, and Akihiko laughed.

She watched the four boys, until she finally remembered Rin - her head turned to the side, though he was not looking at her, staring out at his old teammates.

* * *

Walking down the hallway, past rival teams, pink eyes glanced around for the vending machines Akihiko knew she'd seen when she walked in the previous day. She felt the pocket of her Iwatobi jacket, making sure her and Lando's money was still there, and was about to stand on her tiptoes to see past towering men when her phone vibrated in her pocket - she was unable to hear it ding over the voices surrounding her.

Pulling it out of her back pocket, she began walking as she typed in Nagisa's birthday, expecting a text from Lando, telling her the other girl had found the vending machines.

She stopped walking at the nickname in her messages, eyelashes batting against her glasses.

_'turn around.'_

She swiveled on her heel as the text ordered her too, seeing a redheaded boy walking closer to her, long legs making long strides. He shoved his phone into the pocket of his Samezuka jacket, red eyes looking - or was it _glaring? _She was not sure - down at her.

"... Congratulations on winning against Haru." she said as he walked towards her, though mostly because she could not think of anything else to say.

He scoffed, and she felt her hands tighten into fists, "Whatever. Good job making it into regionals." His voice held sarcasm - she was not sure if he met her or her team, though she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

Blindly, she assumed he was making fun of her, for her making it to regionals but being here, instead, and this made her anger grow.

"Shouldn't you be heading back to your bus?" she asked, turning on her heel and beginning to walk away - Rin hesitated, following after her.

"I wanted to talk to you." he said simply.

"About?" she responded with, and the two got separated for a moment, Akihiko slipping in-between a team with a mutter of, 'Excuse me.'

She heard his tongue click in annoyance. "Why are you mad at me?" he asked, and she didn't reply, winding her way through the crowd.

After a moment of waiting for an answer, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist - she gasped, being yanked back into him.

"Let go of me." she snapped, though her voice did not rise, staying even.

"No," he said, and her mouth fell open in shock, incredulous, "Tell me why you're mad, first. Is it because of what happened a few days ago? Look, I'm sorry, I know I got mad-"

"Shut up." she said, a commanding tone to her voice, and Rin found he stopped talking, out of instinct of her orderly voice. "That's not why I'm mad. Sure, I was mad about it for awhile, but then I just got embarrassed - I shouldn't of lied."

"Then why are you mad?" Rin asked, his voice growing louder. Akihiko kept her mouth shut, looking up at him over her glasses.

He groaned, "Well? You didn't answer my text last night, either. Why were you holding hands with Makoto?"

She rolled her eyes, annoyed at the fact that he was bringing this up at the time. She opened her mouth, and said the first thing that came to mind-

"Because you're being a dick." she said, and Rin hesitated. Though she felt guilty for saying so for a moment, she quickly reasoned with herself that it sounded better than, _'He was holding me back from taking a swing at you.'_

"Why was I being a dick? Is that why you're mad at me, too?" he questioned after a moment, and she nodded, finally pulling her wrist back from his hold.

"Because, everything you said about Haru, and how it only mattered if you won." she said simply, and shrugged. She was not able to respond, however, because Rin cut her off at the first chance he had.

"You've been hanging around Lando too much." he said, and she winced, turning on her heel and beginning to walk away again.

"Ahh - Aki, wait, I didn't mean that." amended Rin quickly, catching up with her once more, "I just - sorry, okay."

She glanced up at him - though his tone was not sincere, she sighed. "It's fine, Rin. Don't worry about it." She figured it was best to forgive him now, instead of letting the issue brew over.

"You sure?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I'm sure." They walked in silence for a moment more, and she decided to attempt normality again, "Have you seen the vending machines? Lando's been complaining since we got here about how she needs something to drink."

He hesitated, glancing at her, and she glanced back at him - red and its lighter shade of pink met, before he smiled and nodded, grabbing hold of her hand and beginning to pull her along.

* * *

The two had come to an agreement to skip their walk the night previous, considering it had been a long weekend for the both of them - they swore to pick up their nightly meetings by that night, however.

Out in the rows of students, a certain freckle-faced redhead leaned forward, tapping the shoulder of the short, black-haired boy in front of him. This second-year was short enough to pass as a first-year, a pair of glasses fitted on the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?" asked the short boy, glancing over his shoulder at the redhead behind him.

Though this boy was taller than his companion, standing at 5'4, he was short for his age - however, he made up on his height with his muscle. "Isn't that Akihiko up there?"

The shorter glanced up at the Swim Team in front of the students, leaning to the side to look over his peers. _"Wha - it is!" _he exclaimed in a hushed voice, so as not to draw attention.

The redhead laughed, not caring of the eyes that went his way, "She can't be on a sports team!" he said, "She's _fat!" _

The two boys laughed, Suzeme chuckling from beside the redhead.

Lando glanced back at the boy with freckles from her spot beside the short boy, shaking her head with a smile, "You're awful, Daichi." she said.

Daichi's mouth dropped open, and he pointed an accusing finger to the short noirette, "Hey, it was Hisao, too!"

Hisao held his hands up, feigning innocence, "Hey, now, sir, don't bring me into this!"

Bunko leaned forward from down Daichi's line, calling out to them in a whisper. "She doesn't actually swim." she said, "They needed a secretary, and her brother asked her."

Daichi laughed once more, "So she joined a sports team and isn't exactly doing the sport! Ha! _Fat!"_

Asuka turned around from in front of Hisao, looking up at all of them, "Alright," she began, holding a hand out to all of them, speaking slowly, as if to children, "Could you all please kindly shut the hell up?"

Hisao held his hands out once more, "Hey, ma'am!" he said, "Nobody was talking to you!"

"Do I look like I care?" she asked, and Allen turned around as well, bumping shoulder with Asuka.

"Hey, don't talk like that to my friend!" he said, his voice taking on a whining tone that this group - his friends - had gotten so used too.

Hisao's hands turned to Allen, his voice taking a sharp edge to it - though he really held no malice, that was just how these two communicated. _"Hey, now, fatass, I don't believe anybody was talking to you, either!"_

The seven of them - Bunko, Daichi, Hisao, Suzeme, Asuka, Lando, and Allen - all cracked up into laughter, which was called to silence by a teacher.

Standing with her team, Akihiko's lips quirked up into a smile at the sound of her friends laughing - she rolled her eyes when she saw Daichi pointing at her, silently laughing, and the two made eye contact for a moment. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, leaning forward to tell Hisao his joke - the two boys laughed, and Akihiko once again rolled her eyes.

She knew how the two boys were - and, in all honesty, she would think something wrong if they did not make fun of her or the others in her group.

She smiled at the boy again when he pulled away from Hisao, the crowd clapping, Daichi once again pointing and laughing at the girl, his laughter audible.

* * *

Lando's desk was shoved up against Akihiko's in their Math class, though the two weren't speaking with each other - Lando's head rested at an uncomfortable looking position on her folded arms, hair thrown over her face, lightly snoring. Daichi and Hisao crowded around Akihiko, the three scribbling answers down on their homework from the night previous, Makoto Tachibana's paper positioned in front of all of them.

"Uwah, thanks, Mako!" said Akihiko, glancing up, waiting for the other two boys to finish so she could flip the paper over and begin the back, "I forgot all about having homework over the weekend!"

"You weren't going to do it, anyway." said Allen from the other side of the classroom, though they ignored him.

Makoto smiled, looking down at the two boys who were violently attempting to write down the math problem, complaining to each other how they wrote too slow. "It's fine, Aki-chan. You're lucky we have a substitute today, so you can work on it."

She smiled back up at him, nodding her head, before glancing back at Daichi and Hisao, flipping the paper over for them and beginning to write down the formulas.

Their substitute for the day had to walk out to make more copies of their homework for the night - the hour was slowly dwindling, lunchtime drawing closer and closer - after that, Akihiko and Allen both had a free period, where they normally sat in the Band room and complained.

Akihiko hesitated, feeling her phone vibrate in her bag, her foot leaning against the bag. After a moment, she leaned down, retrieving it from the inside zipper pocket, unlocking it quickly.

_'how much longer till youre out of class?'_

She blinked, seeing it was Daddy Shark, and glanced up to see if Makoto was watching her, though the boy was attempting - _attempting - _to teach Daichi and Hisao how to work out their formulas.

She typed a quick response. _'Not long, ten, fifteen minutes, why?'_

She cradled her phone in her lap below her desk, continuing to write down Makoto's answers on her papers - she jumped when she received another text from Rin, almost waking Lando.

_'meet me outside your school?'_

She hesitated at that, thumb hovering over her keypad in circles, attempting to think of a reply. _'Umm, I'll try. Why? Shouldn't you be in school?'_

_'dont worry about it. you have lunch after this hour?'_

She hesitated at his order for her not to worry, and she thought of messaging Seijuro, though remember she did not have the Captain of Samezuka's number.

_'Yeah.'_

_'alright, im outside now.'_

For some reason, she felt a sense of worry in the pit of her stomach at that - she grabbed her bag from the floor, folding up her homework from the previous night and throwing it in a random folder, shoving her phone back in the zipper pocket and standing, hopping over her desk, Lando blocking her only way out.

"Mako - can you fix my desk?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Thanks!"

"Ah - yeah, of course, Aki-chan! Where are you going?..." he asked, and she waved a hand over her shoulder, nearly running into the substitute as he came walking back into the room.

"Oh - um..." she grabbed a paper from the stack in his arms, folding it and tossing it into her bag as well, "I have to leave a few minutes early - I'm in Band, and I've gotta go help Kuhn-sensei organize music."

She winced - normally, she was a good liar, though, at the moment, her worry was destroying that ability.

"Don't let her leave!" yelled Daichi from across the room, "She's trying to skip! _Skipper!"_

"Oh, yeah, look at me!" Akihiko yelled back, taunting, "Skipping the last ten minutes of class, I'm so cool!"

She did not wait for a reply, instead squeezing past the substitute, throwing her bag on her back and walking down the halls.

* * *

Walking down the hallway, all elegant 5'2 of her, she drew the eyes of those out in the hallways. Akihiko Hazuki - a name most knew. She was on student council, first chair clarinet, though neither was why they knew her - she was a gossip, put simply, and, though she wasn't annoying with her amount of knowledge or how she got it, it was a known fact that she knew almost every rumor circulating around the school.

Though that was not the only reason all knew her.

Her and her group of friends were well-known throughout the school - there was Lando Layton, who always had _something _going on in her life, somebody to hate, somebody or something to talk about. Next was Suzeme Takahashi, who had plenty friends, though kept to her one group mostly. She was a beautiful young girl, and perhaps that was why so many were drawn to her - added, she had a great sense of humor, and her grandparents were wealthy, and therefore she immediately was already at the top of the food-chain without the help of her group. Bunko Suzuki was first chair flute, though, like Akihiko, that was not why she was known. She was a nice and quiet girl, and was known mostly for her friends - she was an interesting girl to those who officially knew her, however, able to keep a conversation. Lastly, there was Asuka Shimizu, a smart girl that was always willing to help tutor those not at her intelligence, or, if you happened to know her personally, allow you to copy off her homework. She was kind to those who did not know her, though was a motherly type regardless, and therefore was close to most first-years - aside from Akihiko's demon brother, that is.

Everyone was shocked to see Akihiko not in the presence of at least one member of her group - if not a girl, then Daichi or Hisao or Allen, or perhaps even one from her apparent Swim Team. They watched her while they were supposed to be looking through their lockers for a lost paper; returning back to class from a trip to the bathroom; glancing at her out of the windows on classroom doors.

She walked briskly, a slight breeze throwing her straightened brown hair over her shoulders - she wore a diamond friendship necklace, one Lando had the sister too, a colorful bracelet hanging on her right wrist. Whether it was made by the same girl who had the _'Friends' _portion of the necklace, none were quite sure.

Akihiko made it through the front doors of Iwatobi High School as the lunch-bell rang - she had gotten distracted in the bathroom, darting in for a moment to take a quick glace at her hair, though that eventually led to her having a conversation with another second-year girl in the bathroom over who was dating Daichi Yamada, or if the boy was actually surviving going a week without a girlfriend.

"Hey - sorry I took so long, Rin." said the girl, walking over to the boy, adjusting her hair, tucking her bangs behind her ear and then untucking them.

He hesitated, glancing at her, and shook his head. "No, it's fine." he said, and something in his tone made the worry in her stomach expand.

"... Are you sure?" she asked, and he simply nodded.

"Can you walk off campus during lunch?" he asked, glancing at her, and she slowly nodded. "Alright, come on." he ordered, motioning for her to follow after him, and she did.

Not much was spoken between the two, though the silence never felt too uncomfortable - if that problem ever seemed to arise, Rin would ask her something, or she would bring up a topic for them to discuss. She made a mental note to get Seijuro's number next time that she went to Samezuka - if Rin invited her back, that is - so she could ask him about this if it ever happened again.

They were walking into the school, Rin telling her he'd walk her to class after he'd learned she was now entering her free period, when Rin spoke up after an close awkward silence.

"Are you going to the festival tonight?" he asked her, and she hesitated, glancing over him.

"Oh - that's tonight?! Yeah, of course I'm going!" she smiled at him, and he gave a slight smile back before turning to look down the hallway. "Why?" she asked, "Are you?"

He nodded simply, and she nodded as well, looking down the hallway as well. She felt slightly strange, having a boy from another school in Iwatobi, though she had told him that if one of the teacher questioned him, to tell them he was with Akihiko Hazuki, because all of the teachers loved Akihiko Hazuki.

As they turned down a hallway, the sound of percussion instruments echoing throughout the hallway from a certain room, Akihiko felt Rin's fingers intertwine with hers - she hesitated, turning to look at the boy, though he did not look back, still staring ahead.

She smiled at his cheek, before looking back to the door, not letting the percussionists wipe the smile from her face. As they approached the door, there hands parted, and Akihiko glanced back at him.

"Hey - are we still walking tonight? After the festival?"

He shrugged at her question, "I don't know. I guess it depends how we feel afterwards."

She nodded, "Yeah, alright. Text me and tell me, alright?" she asked, hand reaching out and grabbing the handle to the door.

"Alright."

She opened the door, gazing in at the classroom, sighing in relief when she saw the room was in order - she had had to spend her last week's her free periods adjusting stands and making sure chairs were set up correctly.

She waved a hand at Rin, and was about to walk in when Rin grabbed the strap of her bag, tugging her back into him.

"See you tonight, I guess." he said, and leaned forward, their lips meeting.

Akihiko hesitated, nodding into the kiss, reacting unsurely and slowly, though that seemed to satisfy Rin, who squeezed her hips.

From inside the band room, she heard the percussionists cat-call, before beginning to play a beat, their voices along with their teacher's to sing a chant that was used time and time again.

_"Inappropriate, that is inappropriate! Inappropriate, that is not okay! Hey!"_

The two yanked away from each other, Rin with an annoyed grunt, and, from inside the band room, Allen sat, slouching in a chair, phone resting on a music stand, scrolling through it, beginning to whine without looking up from the screen.

_"Ohmygodddddd, this is why I hate all of youuuuu."_

* * *

**I really like this chapter, I don't know why. Maybe because it's so long.  
**

**faded colors: Yeah, lol, I noticed I did that with the last chapter, but I had writer's block really bad, haha. I hope this one's better~! :D**

**ninjalover556: It's fine, I had to google how to do it! xD Up at the top of the Copy-and-Paste part of the Doc Manager, you'll see a line next to the button that puts the text in the center. That should be it! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sooo... How's everyone feel about the cover picture? I'm not so sure about it, but maybe I just need to let it grow on me... I would love it if one of you would make a cover! :D *hopes her begging is subtle***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Waving an apologetic hand to Rin, Akihiko let the door close shut behind her, pulling the music stand out of its path. Glancing up, she saw her teacher smirking at her - feeling heat come to her cheeks, she glanced to her shoes, shuffling past him and squeezing past chairs and stands into the middle row of chairs, going to sit down beside Allen, tossing her bag into the seat beside her.

"Hey," she said, adjusting her chair closer to his, pulling her phone from her bag and sitting it down on her own music stand, unlocking it.

"Girl," said Allen, scratching his cheek, not glancing away from his phone, "What was that about?"

She avoided his question, scrolling through icons on her phone, "How come we're sitting over here?" she asked, and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, to the corner of the room hidden behind keyboards, "Instead of back there?"

He glanced over at her, "'Cause fatass was over there when I came in here." he said, referring to a third-year percussionist, "Who was that with you? He doesn't go here."

Akihiko took a moment to respond, going to her photos, "Remember solo ensemble, on the bus? When Daddy Shark was texting me?"

There was a flash in Allen's brown eyes, and he vigorously began nodding his head, hitting Akihiko's knee repetitively, "Speaking of solo ensemble - but, nah, that can wait! You've got yourself a boyfriend?! After four years?!"

"Don't talk so loud!" scolded Akihiko, turning to her friend finally, "And he's not my boyfriend-"

"They were singing! You know those idiots only sing that song when people-"

_"Ugh, that __**song!"**_groaned Akihiko, slumping in her chair, "Look - he hasn't asked me out, okay? And you know I haven't asked him! He just kissed me when I opened the door and _of course _the percussionists had to be looking over."

Tapping her finger on a certain screen-shotted photo, she pulled up the Snap Chat of her and Rin at Samezuka Academy's pool, the smirking boy with the towel still atop his head.

"He asked me to go watch him swim-"

_"Watch him swim?" _repeated Allen, "Is that, like, the swimmers' way of asking you out?..."

"- _so, _I went to Samezuka. We took this picture there and-" she flipped through more of her photos, most of them of her and Lando, Hime or Kairi, though she stopped on one of that redheaded boy and her, "Lando took this one. All three of us went out walking and past Takaou's house, and he like wrapped his arm round me and Lando took a picture." She motioned with her chin towards the back of the room when she spoke the boy's name, to a percussionist speaking with the third-year.

"Awh!" said Allen, taking her phone from the music stand, holding it up to his face, "You two are actually kinda cute together!"

Unsure what else to say, Akihiko muttered a, _"Um, thanks," _under her breath as Allen passed her phone back to her stand. "So," she said, pressing her home button, locking her phone, "How was regionals?"

She hesitated when she heard no reply, glancing back at her friend, who's cheeks had puffed out.

"Oh." she said after a moment, _"Oh. _So, I guess you're not going to nationals?"

Allen shook his head, _"No." _he huffed, "I was too worried about you to concentrate - you hung up on me!"

Akihiko hesitated, "You can't blame that on me." she said, then sighed, "That's too bad. I would of liked to of gone for someone else-"

Allen suddenly cut her off, leaning over to her, almost knocking over both their music stands, "Alright," said the boy, "So you dragged it out of me! I wanted to wait until Kuhn announced it, but, oh well! I actually _did _get into nationals!"

Akihiko hesitated, and the two stared at each other for a moment, pink eyes looking into ecstatic brown hues. Finally, Akihiko gasped, clasping hold of her friend's hands.

"Really?!" she asked, beaming back at him, "Good job!"

Allen wiggled round in his seat, scooting closer to the girl, "I don't know how I did it!" he exclaimed, then continued in a hushed voice, "It's not like I actually practiced!"

The two laughed, and the percussionists tried to drown them out, playing loud, erratic beats - though this only caused the saxophonist and the clarinetist to laugh even _louder._

* * *

Lando showed up at the Hazukis' door, her grandmother's van running in their driveway. Her yukata was a pale yellow color, little daisies blooming along the fabric, hair thrown up in a much less sloppy bun than usual; she had ditched her normal bandana for a diamond-studded headband that may or may not be Suzeme's. Her shoes clacked against the stairs as she hopped up them; taking the key she had in her hand, she unlocked the door and headed in, greeted, as usual, by Hime and Kairi. Hearing her footsteps echo down the hallway, she saw Akihiko's head glance up from a mirror hanging in their living room; Akihiko smiled, squinting her eyes to see her friend, before turning back to her reflection, moving her mascara wand back up to her eyelashes.

"Hey," said Akihiko, "Sorry, give me a few minutes. I didn't expect you to be here on time."

Lando smiled, walking over to her friend, glancing her over. Her yukata was a dark blue, little fish decorating it, some yellow, some a light pink, some pale blue. "You look cute!" remarked Lando, and Akihiko smiled, blinking at herself in the mirror.

"Thanks." she said, screwing her mascara back together, sliding it into her make-up back. Widening her eyes at herself, she blinked again, grabbing her glasses and sliding back them on, adjusting her bangs to frame her face. Her hair, was, for once, pinned up, flowered bobby pins peeking out from locks of brown hair.

She glanced over at her friend, motioning to the headband, "Is that Suzeme's?" she asked.

Lando smiled, shrugging her shoulders, "Maybe." she said, "It might be Asuka's."

Akihiko smiled, glancing down at the little table in front of the mirror, zipping up her make-up bag, "Well, you look pretty." she said.

Lando smiled, "Thanks." she said, walking closer to her friend, who was holding something in her hands, "What are you doing?"

Akihiko hesitated, glancing up at her, "What? Oh, nothing, just-"

"Let me see!"

The other girl barely had time to protest, Lando's hand reaching out, grabbing hold of Akihiko's - Hime barked at them, and Lando glared at the dog, prying Akihiko's fingers open.

Lando hesitated, staring down at what was in her friend's hands, before her face lit up.

_"Awh!" _she cried, _"Are you going to wear this?! You should! It's so cute!"_

Akihiko sighed, looking down at the hair clip in her hands; it was a black ribbon, a tiny little shark placed in the middle of the bow. "I bought it on my way home." she said, "I walked home today, and stopped by the store to get some tea and - they were selling those there and - I don't think I even realized I'd bought it until I walked out."

"I don't care if I think he's a dick!" said Lando, "It's cute!"

Akihiko shrugged, taking the clip back from her friend. "You think I should wear it?" she asked, turning to look at herself in the mirror; she did not wait for Lando's response, using the clip to pin her bangs to the side, tilting her head to look at it in the mirror.

Lando nodded, "Hey, speaking of that dick - I heard from Allen that he walked you to your free hour?"

Akihiko hesitated, turning away from her reflection, "Yeah, he did - Allen told you? Why?"

"I was asking Mako why you weren't in class when the bell rang in last hour, and Allen jumped in before Mako could say anything. Why'd the dick text you?"

Akihiko sighed, turning and grabbing her purse from the couch, a tiny black thing that had enough room for her phone, chapstick, and a wad of money, big lacy bow on the face on the purse. "I don't know. He just texted me and asked how long till my class ended, then said he was outside the school." the girl shrugged, petting both Kairi and Hime's head as a farewell, "He was acting really weird, when I met him outside."

Lando nodded her head, "Maybe," she began, "he's just nervous for regionals."

"I guess." said Akihiko simply, turning towards Lando, "Are you ready to go?"

Lando nodded, following after Akihiko, "Yeah," she said, "Where's Nagisa, though? Doesn't he need a ride?"

Akihiko shook her head, "No," she said, opening the door, checking her purse to make sure her key was present, "He's going there with Rei. Are we picking up anyone else?"

Lando shook her head, "Nope, we're meeting them all there." she responded, and Akihiko nodded, waiting for her friend to step out onto the door before closing it behind her, making sure it was locked, waving at the two dogs.

The two didn't say anything, stepping out into the driveway, until they'd gotten into Lando's Grandmother's car; Lando spoke up from the front.

"So, is the dick gonna be there?" she asked, Akihiko taking a seat, closing the door to the van.

"He said he was." she said, shrugging, "He'll probably be there with his friends, though, and I'll be there with all of you."

Lando snickered, "He has _friends?" _she asked.

Akihiko sighed in response, and Lando laughed.

"Well? _Does he?"_

"I'd imagine he does!" said Akihiko, "He had this little gray-haired boy following him around when I went to their practice-"

"So he doesn't have friends," interrupted Lando, "he has a bitch."

"I wouldn't put it that way!" objected Akihiko, shaking her head.

"Well, I guess I'll see if he's at the festival." said Lando, and she showed that was the end of that conversation by turning up the radio.

* * *

"So," began Lando, "can I just begin by saying I'm pretty sure Mako has just friend-zoned me?"

Suzeme spoke up, hands tucked inside the sleeves of her black yukata, "Not just you." she said, laughing, "He friend-zoned, like, all of us."

The group of five girls were walking away from the swimming team, passing vendors; they had been with the team, formal introductions being made between all of them, and, Makoto, being the kind boy he was, had said they all looked cute. Lando, of course, however, took this much more serious than needed, and, though she piped up with a, _'Thanks!' _as all of the girls had, as soon as they'd walked away, she brought this up.

"Well, yeah, but that's because of what kind of boy he is. He already thinks of you all as siblings! _Me, _on the other hand..." Lando trailed off, before groaning, "And he said the exact same thing to Kou and her little friend! I just-" she trailed off once more, her groan rising in volume, drawing eyes. "Akihiko! Give me my money!" she ordered.

Akihiko hesitated, turning away from the crowd, "... What?" she asked, "Umm... Alright. Why?" she asked, digging through her purse and unzipping the pocket where she'd placed her friend's money, handing it to her.

"Because, I'm starving!" said Lando, grabbing her money, beginning to lead her friends over to the vendors.

"I thought you didn't like squid?" asked Asuka, and Lando waved her hand at her.

"I'll find something!" she said simply, beginning to look.

Akihiko sighed, glancing at the vendors before turning back to the crowd, checking her phone once to see if Rin had texted her back; he hadn't. Closing her purse, she was about to turn back to Lando when she caught sight of a towering redhead amongst the crowd.

"Ugh!" snapped Lando, "What am I supposed to get?!"

"Just get a candy apple." said Suzeme.

"Yeah," said Asuka, "Stop being difficult."

"I'm not, I'm just not feeling a candy apple tonight."

"What?" asked Suzeme, unbelieving.

"So get a candy strawberry." said Asuka, and Suzeme shook her head.

"You can't do that!" she objected, "It's a festival! It's not the same without an apple!"

"The strawberry is the same!"

_"It is not the same!"_

"Guys!" interrupted Lando, "We have more important stuff to worry about than if a strawberry or apple are the same! What am I going to eat?!"

"Get a strawberry, Lando."

"No! Get an apple!"

"- Hey, guys?" spoke up Bunko, and they all hesitated, glancing over at the blonde girl, "What's Aki staring at?"

The three girls blinked, before glancing over at Akihiko, who was indeed staring off into the crowd. They followed her line of sight, Asuka having to stand on her tiptoes, and Lando was the first to see her object of interest.

Lando slung her arm over Akihiko's shoulders, _"Hey, dick!" _she yelled, resulting in Akihiko turning several different shades of red.

"L-Lando!" she stuttered, "Stop it! _People are staring!..." _

"So?!" asked Lando, "Oh - hey, that must be his so-called _'friend', _huh?" she shook her head, though didn't speak further on the subject.

"Oh." said Suzeme, finally catching sight of the male, "That's Aki's Daddy Shark, right?" she laughed.

"Yeah, it is." said Bunko, recognizing the boy from her Snap Chats.

Lando laughed, rising her voice once more, _"Hey!" _she yelled, _"Daddy Shark!" _She glanced down at Akihiko, "Hey, what's his actual name, again?... Oh, that's right - _Rin!"_

At the sound of his name being called, he did turn his head towards them; Lando grinned at him, though it was very sarcastic, and, behind her, the other three girls giggled.

Akihiko hesitated, seeing his eyes flick to her - unsure what else to do, she flashed him a smile, expecting him to return it.

Though he didn't, turning away from them, walking off with Nitori questioning him who called his senpai's name.

* * *

**Woah! Where'd all my reviews go? D:**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm having writer's block for my other fics! D:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Akihiko was on her third candy apple half an hour later.

She had texted Rin after he had walked away with Nitori, and, as she'd expected, he did not respond to her. Nagisa had messaged Lando while she was still trying to chose between a strawberry and an apple while Akihiko was buying his first apple, warning her that Rin was there, and that she should keep an eye out for him and make sure Akihiko stayed as far away from Rin as possible; Lando just played along, thinking it would be easier to just agree with him then explain how the Samezuka swimmer had showed up at their school, and that they'd already seen Rin.

"I thought we were going out to eat after this." remarked Suzeme as Akihiko purchased her third apple, Lando finally just settling on buying both.

"Oh," said Lando, "You think this is gonna fill me up?"

"I'm still up for going out." said Akihiko, glancing back at her friends; she did not think of walking with Rin, considering she was apparently supposed to be avoiding the boy.

"That's, like, your third apple." said Suzeme, laughing, and Akihiko shrugged, turning back to look ahead of her.

"We'll just have to stop by my house so I can get more money. And change."

Suzeme laughed, while Bunko shook her head, though was smiling.

* * *

By the time the five all climbed in Lando's Grandma's car, Lando had won Akihiko a stuffed shark, and Suzeme had accidentally won herself a goldfish. She played the game as a joke, though had ended up taking it seriously - now, she had the bag in her lap, looking down at the fish with puckered lips. She had already tried to pass it off to her friends, who all shoved it back, laughing at her attempts.

Akihiko threw the stuffed shark to the back of the van, hitting Bunko and Asuka.

"Hey!" said Lando, turning round in her seat to look at her friend, "I won you that!"

"And you did it to be a jerk." huffed Akihiko, sighing as Asuka pushed the shark into her lap, scooting it closer to her.

"I am not the jerk in this relationship." said Lando, smiling, and Suzeme interrupted.

"But, seriously," she said, glancing up from her goldfish, "What am I gonna do with this thing? I mean, it's not like I actually wanted it."

"Give it to Daichi." said Lando.

"Yeah," continued Akihiko, "It matches his hair color."

The girls laughed, even Akihiko - she had been especially quiet during the festival, mulling over something in her head, though she had brightened up when she met up with her team to say her goodbyes. She told her younger brother that she would be going out with her friends that night, and might stay the night, telling him to make sure the dogs were fed.

When Akihiko exited her house after letting Hime and Kairi back in, she had decided on keeping her hair up, not wanted to deal with tearing bobby pins from her hair just yet. She wore a dark blue Band tee-shirt, the year claiming 2012-2013, back decorated with names, each under their assigned instrument section, and jeans that hugged her legs, switching the black silk purse for her normal camouflaged satchel, wad of clothes tucked underneath her arm for a night at Lando's. She was shoving her wallet, decorated with Yoshi, into her bag and sliding out of the door with her moccasins on when her phone dinged from her pocket, a noise she barely heard in her ruckus of attempting to get organized.

Stepping down the stairs once her purse was zipped up, she unlocked her phone, shocked to see Daddy Shark had bothered to respond to her earlier message, one asking, _'You okay?'_

_'sorry for just now texting back. yeah, i'm fine.'_

She pursed her lips, knowing he was definitely _not sorry, _and locked her phone with a sigh, opening the door to the van and sliding back in; blinking her eyes at the shark plush occupying her seat, she shoved it to the floor with a dissatisfied noise, climbing in.

Suzeme examined her friend from the seat beside her, picking up the shark, "Well, you look slightly more pissed than you did when you walked in there." she observed, and, unlike Asuka, she did not try to give the toy back.

Akihiko shrugged, "Rin texted back. Said he was fine." she said, gathering her purse in her lap, pulling her seatbelt on as Grandma pulled out from the driveway.

Lando looked back at them, twisting around in her seat, "And what did you say?" she inquired.

Akihiko shrugged once again at her, "I didn't text back."

"Give me your phone."

"... What?"

"Give me your phone!" repeated Lando, leaning over the cupholders to grab at Akihiko, ignoring Grandma's objections.

Akihiko slid down in her seat to avoid Lando, who's hand reached out to her, "No! Stop! You're just going to text him and be mean! It's fine, okay? He didn't yell at me or anything!"

"Don't care! He needs to realize that you're - no, not just you, because he's been mean to me, too! - that _all _of us are better than him, and that he can't talk to us like that, all snarky! Give me your phone!"

As Akihiko continued attempting to move around Lando's outstretching hand, Suzeme spoke up, "Well, we are better than him." she said.

An issue with their group, and one of the many reasons their names were all so well known, was that all members were very egotistical.

"Plus," began Suzeme, "he treats you like shit."

Akihiko hesitated at that, and Lando grabbed her hand, though her phone wasn't in her hand. "He doesn't treat me like shit." defended Akihiko, glancing over at Suzeme.

"He's just... stressed out over regionals. I know how that feels." continued Akihiko, and Lando hesitated, though did not speak up.

Bunko nodded from the back, "I remember last year, when you snapped at the whole trumpet section a week before regionals."

"Because they don't know how to be quiet - whatever. He's just stressed, and you've only heard me complaining about him. I don't really talk about him enough for you guys to say he's not nice. Sometimes he's not, yeah, but we're not nice most of the time, so it works out."

All of the girls shared a glance, before turning back to Akihiko, and Asuka was the first one to speak up.

"I heard about how he showed up at the end of your third hour." she said, "So, I mean, he obviously cares about you a little bit."

"Yeah," said Suzeme, "He wouldn't of left Samezuka to head to Iwatobi if he didn't think about you."

Akihiko hesitated, though slowly nodded her head, glancing out the window - she did not notice Lando suddenly remembering the homework they had, and her wild questioning if anybody had done it; which, they hadn't.

* * *

Lando's house being the headquarters to emergency sleepovers and gossiping, Suzeme, Asuka, and Bunko all had clothes there to wear, and therefore her house was the last stop they'd had to make before they headed out to eat. Grandma had dropped them off, claiming to want to stop by the store for something, though the girls knew in reality she didn't want to be seen out in public with them.

And so all five girls squeezed into a round booth, seated Bunko, Asuka, Suzeme, Akihiko, and Lando, almost dangling off the side of the leather seating. They had all ordered at least eleven plates between the four of them, just naming off appetizers, and Lando and Akihiko both had already cleared off two of their three plates not fifteen minutes after, when a certain beat began playing from the speakers above.

_"Kiss me hard before you go, Summertime sadness._

_I just wanted you to know, that, baby, you're the best."_

Akihiko's phone, seated beside her third plate, went off, and, though she was not able to hear it over the song, it lit up, illuminating in the dim lighting of the restaurant.

_"I got my red dress on tonight, dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight."_

Suzeme began screeching from beside Akihiko, who was too busy unlocking her phone to join in. _"Got my hair up real big beauty queen style, high heels off, I'm feeling alive!"_

All the girls excluding Akihiko laughed at the eyes that went to their booth - and that was exactly why Grandma 'went to the store'.

_"Oh, my god, I feel it in the air, _

_telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare._

_Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere._

_Nothing scares me anymore."_

Akihiko leaned into Lando, who was still chuckling at the stares, turning her phone towards her friend so she could see the text message.

_'so are we walking tonight?'_

Lando glanced up to Akihiko's eyes, hesitating.

"What are you going to say?" she asked under her breath, and Akihiko shrugged, a look in her eyes as if waiting for Lando's approval.

By then, all the other girls' eyes had turned to the two, though Akihiko appeared not to have an idea of their looks.

Glancing over Akihiko's shoulder, Lando looked at each of them in turn; Asuka had a motherly look to her, one that clearly said, _'Let the poor girl have this, she hasn't had a boyfriend in, like, four years.' _Bunko had a similar look, though it had a certain begging sheen, that muttered, _'Ask him if he has any friends for me, okay?' _Suzeme on the other hand just smiled at Lando, and mouthed, _'I just really wanna see if his teeth actually look like shark's.'_

Lando sighed, glancing back to Akihiko; those were three votes to her one, and who was she to keep Akihiko, even if she had no warm feelings towards Rin?

And so she smiled at the girl with the shark bow still in her hair.

"Go ahead and walk with him, we'll keep the door unlocked for you."

At that, Akihiko hesitated, though could not help the smile that came to her face, nodding her head and beginning to type on her phone.

_'Yeah, we are. Meet me at Lando's in an hour.'_

* * *

He had been waiting in Lando's driveway for an hour and a half, and was just about to leave when Grandma's lights reflected off the windows, pulling up into the driveway beside Rin. Five girls piled out, all chattering and giggling still, and the short one, standing just barely at five foot, was the first to notice Rin.

"Hey," she said, though none of the girls paid her any attention, laughing at Lando who had tripped on her way out of the car.

"HEY!" she repeated, and this time they heard her, looking down at her, though they were attempting to stifle their laughter.

"Isn't that...?"

She trailed off, and they hesitated, looking off in the way Asuka motioned. At that, Suzeme gasped in a way that made everyone think she had harmed herself, walking over to him.

"Hey - you're Rin? Smile!" she ordered, laughing, and the swimmer hesitated.

Akihiko blinked, stepping towards them, "Suzeme - leave him alone!"

Bunko followed after them, "No - I want to see his teeth, too!" she objected, and Lando laughed.

"They're just like a shark's, I swear!" she said, gathering around Rin as well, pulling Asuka along with her. "Come on, dick!" said Lando, reaching forward and pulling at his cheeks, "Smile!"

Not prepared to be harassed by five teenaged girl, Rin hesitated before pushing away Lando's hands, "Don't touch me, why do you smell like that?" he said, and Lando gave a baffled huff.

"Excuse me?" she snapped, "That is _Paris Amour, _dick!"

"Well it stinks." replied Rin, shoving away her hands once more when she attempted to grab his cheeks again.

The other girls laughed, and Lando gave him an open-mouthed look.

"You know what, dick? You just lost the privilege to be on my lawn! Get off!" she ordered, pushing him by his shoulder.

"No!" objected Suzeme, "We haven't seen his teeth yet!"

"You have your fish to take care of!" replied Lando, turning towards her friend.

"What?!" said Suzeme, and it was her turn to be open-mouthed, "I thought you said you'd take care of it!"

"I lied!" Lando said, pointing and laughing at Suzeme's shocked face, and Rin made the mistake of smirking.

Suzeme's eyes caught him before he was able to wipe it away, and she jumped towards him, "Woah, your teeth actually look _just like a shark's! _How are they like that?!"

She was the one to pull on his cheeks this time, and Rin pulled away from her.

Akihiko came to his rescue, taking hold of his arm, "Come on, Rin, let's walk. I have to go to school tomorrow, still." she said, and Rin nodded, beginning to pull her along, Lando objecting behind them.

"She's my friend! She likes me more! Akihiko, Akihiko, come back!"

"Ah - leave the door unlocked, Lando!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

* * *

The walk had proved not to be very interesting - aside from Rin commenting on how he liked her bow, which she had forgotten to take out, and that resulted in her sputtering and blushing for a good five minutes.

Neither said anything of his strange behavior at the festival - Akihiko continued to assume it was regionals approaching that made him so quiet, though she had no confirmation of this, though she insisted to herself she didn't need any.

When Akihiko and Rin walked back up Lando's drive, the girls were all staring out the window at her, Suzeme moving the shark plush in a swimming motion while Lando puckered her lips at it. Akihiko did her best to look away, as if she didn't see their faces pressed against the glass, and hoped Rin did not see them.

"We gonna walk tomorrow?" asked Rin, tugging on her hand to bring her back to him when she attempted to walk up the stairs of Lando's porch.

"What? Yeah, if you want." said Akihiko, glancing up at him; she could almost hear her friends' teasing.

"Yeah, I want too." replied Rin, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers for only a brief second, not even giving her enough time to respond.

He had broken off at the sound of the whooping and screeching inside the house.

Akihiko flushed, lowering her head, "I - ah, um. I have to go! I'll see you tomorrow, Rin! Text me!" she barely managed to squeak this out, letting go of his hand and hurrying up the steps, stumbling over to the door; Rin hesitated, before chuckling and nodding, waving at her back. He turned and opened the gate, beginning to walk down the driveway, while Akihiko tried in vain to work the door open.

_"Dammit, Lando! Unlock the door!"_

_"Don't tell me what to do!"_

* * *

**So yeah I'm going to attempt to act like I'm not ashamed of this chapter. Ready?  
**

**NO SHAME.**

**Remember when this was supposed to be OC X Various? Yeah lol me neither.**

**Isabel: UWAH, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU TOO 3**

**Wonderwoman123: Yeah, kind of, haha! Here's the update! :D**

**So, everybody, I'm having some writer's block lately; I'll try to have a chapter a week, okay? Sorry if that doesn't happen! I promise I won't give up on this or any of my other fics, okay?! Love you all! :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

When Akihiko finally managed to convince Lando to unlock the door, after pounding loud enough to wake Grandma, she stumbled inside the house, shutting the door behind her and kicking off her moccasins in the general direction of Lando.

_"- Kiss me hard before you go, Summertime sadness._

_I just wanted you to know, that, baby, you're the best._

_I got that Summertime, Summertime sadness."_

The T.V was playing music that echoed throughout the house, and Akihiko could only think and hope that it wasn't bothering Grandma in her room right next to the bathroom downstairs - though, when she walked through the living room and into the bathroom to see how red her cheeks had managed to get, she heard Grandma's T.V blaring as well, and figured perhaps they were in a battle to see who could drown out who.

Suzeme was still laughing when she exited the bathroom - in fact, all four of the girls who had once stood at the window were, though by now they had dispersed, Lando in the recliner by the window, Asuka sitting at the computer in the corner by the window, Suzeme curled up in one corner of the couch, and Bunko on the loveseat. They pointed, and Akihiko's face grew redder.

_"At least I have a boyfriend!" _she spat, prickling, and they all paused, glancing at each other.

"... Aww." said Suzeme in a disappointed voice, "Even Akihiko can say that to us now. We're all so alone."

"Wait!" exclaimed Lando, pointing to Akihiko again, "You said he hadn't asked you out yet! You two aren't even dating!"

The four girls recovered quickly, pointing and laughing once more.

_"S-shut up!" _Akihiko sputtered, and she gave a huff as she plopped down on the other end of the couch, almost falling in the process.

"So," said Suzeme, recovering from her laugh, "if you two aren't, like, _dating, _what exactly are _you_?"

At her question, a silence fell over the girls, interrupted only by the music playing from the T.V.

Asuka was the first to speak up, adjusting herself on the wooden chair she sat on, turning away from the computer, "Friends with benefits?" she suggested, and Lando quickly shook her head, though it was already too late - Akihiko's face had already paled at the thought, and she adverted her eyes down to the phone in her hand, bangs being held back by the bow.

"No," objected Lando, glancing to Asuka, "Of course not. Rin's too afraid of us for that."

Suzeme glanced at her at the harsh tone, and nodded her head as well, "I could totally see Rin doing that with someone else, just from the cocky attitude he has, but not with Aki. Not when he's, like, met us. At least, he knew you before today, right? Lando?"

Lando's head nodded, bun bouncing, redone in its normal everyday sloppy way, Suzeme's headband forgotten. "Yeah. Back in grade school, before he'd moved to Australia. He, Daichi, and Hisao use to throw pencils at me."

"So that means he's obviously seen your wrath." said Bunko from the loveseat.

"So you guys are obviously _not _just friends with benefits." amended Lando.

"Yeah, I mean, friends with benefits do a little bit more than just kiss, anyway, Aki." Suzeme said, and Akihiko glanced up, meeting Lando's gaze.

"The first kiss." she said, and Lando hesitated.

"Aki-"

Though by then Akihiko had already turned to Suzeme, phone clenched in her hands even though it had dinged with a text. "When me and Rin first kissed - when my mom told me she wouldn't be home for awhile, and I accidentally texted him instead of Lando - he ended up giving me two hickys, and if Lando wouldn't of knocked on the door when she did we probably would of _fucked-"_

"She's over-exaggerating." said Lando quickly, "They wouldn't of fucked. They just kissed a little and he gave her two little hickys. That's it. Akihiko's just too prude for her own good."

"I'm not prude!" objected Akihiko, glancing to Lando, "I'm just saying it like it is-"

"You're freaking yourself out, okay?" said Lando, putting down the foot rest of the recliner.

"Take a breath." Bunko said, and Akihiko shook her head, though obeyed and took a breath.

They were silent for another moment more, Akihiko's phone dinging with a text reminder; at that, Akihiko's voice spoke up over both the T.V. in front of them and Grandma's.

"So, then... What are we?"

All the girls shared a look, and Suzeme was the one who dared to speak this time.

"I think," she declared, "that Rin realizes you want to take it slow, and that, y'know, you haven't had a boyfriend in awhile, so you don't really know what to do. But at the same time, he doesn't really want to take it _fast, _just faster than you're moving right now, and he's trying to work you along with him."

The other girls all stared at the girl who stared back, black eyeliner stains lining her bottom eyelid, light blue eyes blinking at them.

"... He's just so stressed out." said Akihiko finally, unlocking her phone to reply to her text message, though it was surprisingly from Makoto instead of Rin, Suzeme saw when she glanced over at her.

_'But, I don't know what to do, Aki-chan!'_

Suzeme hesitated at that, and couldn't help but to watch as Akihiko typed a response.

_'She likes all kinds of flowers. Her locker number is 273. She never has her lock on, but she shares her locker with Asuka and Suzeme, so make sure you have a card that says who it's too.'_

_'Are you sure, Aki-chan?...'_

_'Positive, Mako. She's into all that Nicholas Sparks romance stuff.'_

"Just give it time," said Lando, and both Akihiko and Suzeme jumped at her voice, turning to the girl who was unlocking her own phone.

* * *

The next morning, when Lando went to her locker to stuff her binder into it as she did everyday, her four friends tailing after her, Makoto was inside the Economics classroom as Akihiko had told him to do, helping Daichi and Hisao with their Math homework.

Opening her locker door with a huff, the smell of daisies blew over them, a yellow petal falling to Lando's feet; in the top shelf, the only open one with enough room (the second shelf stacked full with Suzeme and Asuka's things) was a bouquet, multicolor daisies all bound with pale yellow wax paper, little bow keeping them together.

Lando blinked up at them with an annoyed look, "Suzeme," she said, "I think Daichi wants to get back together with you."

"I wouldn't doubt it, he's been single, for, like, a week." joked Asuka, though Suzeme shook her head, remembering Akihiko and Makoto's conversation from the previous night.

"Check the card." said both Suzeme and Akihiko; they blinked at each other, before turning back to Lando, who was stretching on her tiptoes to retrieve the daisies. Finally managing to grab them, she pulled them down from the top shelf, almost knocking _A Walk to Remember_ from her locker. Papers, drawings from Akihiko and Asuka and Suzeme, flitted on the locker door with her movements as she checked the little card hanging from the bow, and, when she did, she hesitated, glancing around.

"... Is this a _joke_?" she asked to no one in particular, "I swear to god - I'm going to kill Daichi."

"Don't just automatically assume it was him." defended Bunko.

Akihiko stayed quiet, holding onto the strap of her bag, peeking into the Economics classroom beside Lando's locker.

"Nope - _nope_! Seriously, Tachibana, tell me when I'm ever going to need the formula for a trapezoid in my lifetime." came Daichi's voice, and Akihiko slouched.

"Um-"

"See!" interrupted Hisao, "We're never gonna use this. Because I guarantee you I am never going to have the half an hour it takes me to do one problem if I need to use it _that _bad."

"Hey, ginger!" called Suzeme into the classroom, and Daichi hesitated, glancing up from his desk, "Bitch boy!" Hisao was the next to look up, and Lando came stomping into the room when their attention was caught.

"Oh - Lando-chan-" began Makoto, seeing the bouquet held in her arms, though Lando went right talking over him.

"Do you think this is _funny_?!" she snapped, thrusting the daises to the sitting Daichi.

"No," he said, "I think they're daisies."

Hisao wrinkled his nose, "I think I'm allergic."

"I should kill you!" continued Lando, "Putting these in my locker - right after I told you last night at the festival about Mako! _You _are a _dick_!"

Luckily, the classroom was empty, save for this group - the teacher had left while Makoto had been helping Daichi and Hisao to go speak with the other teachers in the History wing of the school, and no other students had yet to come in aside from sitting down their things and leaving to walk around with their friends before the bell rang.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." said Daichi, though that did no good to soothe Lando; her grip on the flowers tightened, wax paper crinkling.

"Then please explain to me how these got in my locker!" she snapped, hands clenched around the stems of the flowers, and that was when Makoto made his voice heard.

_"I-I'm the one who put those in your locker, Lando-chan!"_

The classroom went quiet, aside from the rain pitter-pattering on the window outside, and the Pandora station their teacher left on in the morning.

It took a moment for Lando to gather herself up and reply, and, when she did, her cheeks were flushed, "... W-_what_?" she said, her voice dangerously close to hissing, though when she continued her voice was high-pitched, "Oh, I'm blushing..." she stated, hand going up to a burning cheek.

Daichi suddenly laughed, standing and clapping Makoto on his shoulder, the redheaded boy barely reaching the swimmer's chest, "You have _no _idea what you just got yourself into, Tachibana."

"You can leave!" said Akihiko, grabbing Daichi's arm; Hisao shook his head disapprovingly, smirking at Daichi as he got dragged out of the classroom by the clarinetist, though Bunko began shoving him along as well.

"Come on, out we go!" she said, and the boy hesitated, about to turn around when Suzeme began pushing as well, Asuka following after with a motherly, knowing smile thrown Makoto and Lando's way.

The door was shut behind them, and, Daichi was right - Makoto had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

The two were an official, established couple by the time the bell had rung, and were holding hands in the hallway during passing time. The rain had cleared up by lunchtime, meaning swimming practice was still on; Akihiko was currently waiting for Lando and Makoto to say their goodbyes, the two girls going home together. Bunko and Asuka had already departed for their homes; Suzeme, however, was sitting at the pool's edge, smiling and laughing down at Haruka.

Laughing at something Haruka _said - joked, even_? Akihiko would have to investigate later.

Sighing when she glanced at her phone to see that fifteen minutes had past since Lando had first said she had to say goodbye to the Captain, she began heading to the parking lot in search for Grandma when she was suddenly tackled, arms encasing her stomach and picking her an inch off the ground.

She shrieked at that inch, bag slipping off her shoulder, and she hit the person in their chest, prepared to scream at Daichi or Allen or even Nagisa.

_"Put me down!" _she ordered, and they obeyed, her wheeling on her heel, pulling her bag back up.

"... Rin?"

The redhead gave a sharp-toothed grin, though she couldn't help but feel that there was still something beneath his normal cocky attitude that was different than usual.

She suddenly gasped, swatting him in his chest.

"What are you doing here?!" she snapped, "Shouldn't you be at swim practice?!"

"I have Nitori covering for me." he said simply, and she groaned.

"You're going to make Seijuro hate me!" she said, and he smirked at her, taking hold of her hand.

"It's fine." he said simply, and he ignored the girl when she muttered, _'No, it's not.' _"He's not that cool, anyway. What're you doing?"

"Looking for Lando's Grandma. She's taking me home." said the girl, and Rin nodded.

He was surprised, however, when he felt her hand wiggle out of his grasp.

He glanced over at her, though she was looking away, scanning through cars in an attempt to find Grandma's. "... Rin?" she finally said, and the boy hesitated, glancing down at her.

"Yeah?"

She paused, standing on her tiptoes to look at cars as she spoke. "So... Um, I don't know how to say this without being mean." she said, and Rin blinked at her, urging her to continue.

"So... What exactly... are we?" she asked finally, avoiding his gaze still, "Like... relationship wise?"

He stayed quiet a moment, before too turning to scan through cars, "... That all depends on you." he said, and Akihiko sighed.

"No, it doesn't." she said simply, finally turning to look at him, though he didn't look back, "You haven't asked me."

"You can ask too, you know." he said, and Akihiko hesitated, shrinking back.

It stayed quiet for several more minutes, and Akihiko sighed, about to pull out her phone to call Lando when Rin glanced at her, taking her by the wrist reaching into her bag. Her purse fell to the sidewalk, _Dear John_, borrowed from Lando, spilling out and onto the pavement, though she had no time to worry about it; Rin pulled her against him, hand that didn't hold her wrist going to cup her cheek, fingertips hitting her glasses and knocking them askew. For once, she had the time to prepare herself for a kiss - Rin's head tilted to the side, and she found hers doing the same, eyelashes brushing against lenses as her eyes fluttered shut.

He tasted of chlorine, while she had peach chapstick on her lips that smeared on Rin's.

While the kiss lasted no more than fifteen seconds, both were red-faced and breathless when they pulled away, Rin's hand still pressed against her cheek.

"... You still didn't answer my question." said Akihiko, reaching up to adjust her glasses.

Rin knocked them crooked once more, "You're really difficult, you know?" he said, and he saw her smile, corners of her lips twinging up.

"Yeah," she said, "I know."

Rin sighed, rolling his eyes, though he was smiling when the hand he'd had her wrist in went to her hip.

"Fine," he began, moving his other hand to her hip once her glasses were tilted to just the right angle to annoy her, "Aki, want to be my girlfriend?"

She smiled once again, though this time she kept it. "You sound really convincing. Like, maybe, you kind of want me to say yes." _So nonchalant. _"But, yes, Rin. I guess I want too."

He smiled back at her and leaned in; once again, she had time to prepare herself, tilting her head once again and letting her eyes close shut.

"You guess?" he asked her when she pulled away, and she laughed and shrugged, kneeling down to gather up her bag, inspecting the book's binding for marks. He was about to bend down and help her when his phone vibrated in his pocket - he rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who it was, and opened the text while Akihiko was busy looking examining the book.

_'you're welcome, dick.' _it read.

_'thanks bitch.' _he replied, snapping his phone shut and glancing up at Iwatobi High - he caught sight of a certain overweight girl with a messy bun looking down from an Economics classroom, and he gave her a brief wave, to which she responded with her middle finger.

* * *

**...**

**Are people happy they're finally together? :3**

**Guest: If I did a lemon, it'd probably be as an extra! But I haven't really decided yet, so a lemon could still be in the future, if enough people want it! :3**

**Quill's And Parchment: UWAH, HAPPY I COULD MAKE YOUR DAY! :D**

**faded colors: Here's the next one! :D I honestly didn't really know what I was going to do for this chapter, so that might be why it lags at some parts, but once I figured it out I was good! :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

Fifteen minutes later - fifteen minutes of gathering up Akihiko's belongings that had fallen from her bag, and her making sure the correct page of _Dear __John_ was still bookmarked; fifteen minutes of Rin pecking her lips when she got distracted by something else - Lando stepped out from the glass doors of the high school, throwing her drawstring bag over her shoulders, catching the two in the middle of one of their pecks.

"If you keep it up," she said, and Akihiko parted quickly, stumbling back as if she'd been caught in a murder, "you're going to swallow her whole, Daddy Shark."

Rin gave her a halfhearted smirk, which she halfheartedly returned, though it seemed more to mock him. She continued walking, and Akihiko shuffled to hurry after her, not speaking.

"Grandma just got her. Am I taking you home?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Akihiko.

"What? - Oh, yeah. Can you take Rin back to Samezuka, too?..." asked the girl hesitantly, watching how Lando's gaze shifted to the swimmer, looking him up and down.

"... I suppose." said Lando, turning back around.

"Actually," began Rin, catching up with the girls, "You can just drop me off at Aki's. I'll walk back from there."

Lando paused in her steps, Akihiko bumping into her; Lando's gaze turned back to Rin, and Akihiko hesitated, clutching at her strap of her bag.

Looking him over once again, Lando turned to her friend, "You okay with that?" she asked for approval.

Akihiko hesitated again, blinking her eyes, "Um - yeah, I am." she said slowly, as if testing whether this was the correct answer.

Lando nodded, turning back to face the parking lot, "Alright," she said, "If it's okay with you."

Rin hesitated at that, flashing Lando an indignant look, about to speak up when he saw Akihiko walking ahead of him - taking her hand, he forced her to walk beside him towards Grandma's car.

Lando climbed into the passengers' seat of Grandma's van, Akihiko and Rin getting in the back.

"Who's this?" asked Grandma, looking back at the shark-like boy beside Akihiko.

"No one important." interrupted Lando before anyone could speak; Grandma gave her a annoyed look, which Lando replied.

"Fine, he's Akihiko's boyfriend. Cute, cute, right? Whatever! So guess what happened to me today?!"

Grandma sighed, starting the car, beginning to drive out of the school's parking lot, "What?" she asked.

"I said guess!"

Grandma sighed once more, Akihiko flashing the older woman an apologetic look, "Hell, I don't know - somebody made you mad, and now you're going to beat them up-"

_"No! _Remember that one boy? Makoto?"

Grandma thought for a moment, then gasped and nodded to herself, "That one nice boy, that I drove over to Aki's house with you? Yeah, yeah. The one with the umbrella."

"That's the one! You know how I like him?!"

"Yes, you tell me about it everyday."

"Well he gave me flowers today!" reaching into her bag, she delicately picked the daises out, their petals slightly sticking out, "He asked me out this morning!"

"Really, dear. That's lovely. We'll have to put those in a vase when we get home."

"Akihiko helped him pick them out!"

From the back, Akihiko sputtered.

"Wh-what, no I didn't-"

"Makoto told me!" objected Lando, turning in her seat to face Akihiko, "It's why I helped get you and Rin together!"

Rin hesitated at that, and Akihiko blinked.

"... What?"

"He didn't tell you? Yeah, I texted him before lunch and told him about what you did. Why do you think I took so long to leave?"

Akihiko sat, speechless, before glancing from Rin to Lando. She suddenly smiled, though Rin swore it looked force, just for a moment, "Really? Lando, tha-"

"Sweetie, isn't that your mom's car?" At Grandma's voice, Akihiko hesitated, cutting herself off. The van bounced into the Hazukis' driveway, and, sure enough, a sleek black truck sat in front of the garage. Grandma had barely parked before Akihiko threw open the door, forgetting her bag behind her, dashing inside.

Lando beamed, crying out, _"Mom!" _as she bounded after her friend, leaving Rin and Grandma in the van; the old woman sighed, turning to the redhead in the bag, handing Rin Lando's drawstring bag.

"Bring their bags in for them, would you, dear? I think Lando's staying the night here. Here, take the flower's, too. Careful with them, hon. She'll freak if they get messed up." said Grandma, and Rin slowly nodded, accepting the flowers, throwing her bag over her shoulders and gathering up Akihiko's.

"Alright." he said, climbing out and shutting the door behind him; Grandma waved to him as she pulled out, though he could not return the favor, arms full of the girls' things. Walking up the porch, he used his knee to open the half open door, closing it behind him. Sitting on the couch was a blonde haired woman, thin curly hair thrown back in a tight ponytail, her swollen ankles resting on the coffee table. Her pink eyes, lined with brown, were closed in aggravation, and she was still wearing her scrubs from the hospital, little monkeys climbing over the fabric. On either side of her sat the two teenaged girls, arms wrapped tightly around the nurse's body.

"Mom!" cried Lando, "Do you remember Makoto, from the swim team Nagisa was on as a kid? Yeah, I'm dating him!"

"Really?" asked the mother, popping her gum she was chewing on, a familiar smell of sweet mint, "He seemed like the type of boy to stay single for awhile." she said, chuckling at herself, and the two girls joined in.

It was at Hime squirming on the couch that the three women noticed Rin's presence, Kairi bolting over to him and jumping, almost making him drop the daisies.

"Is that Rin?" asked the mother, and the two girls slowly pulled away from her as she removed her feet from the table, "I thought you'd moved to Australia?"

"He came back awhile ago, Mom." replied Akihiko for her, standing up and collecting her and Lando's bag, sitting them down on the reclining chair; she took the flowers, resting them on the table, and Lando pointed a finger at them.

"Those are the flowers Mako gave me today, Mom!"

"You're gonna need to get a vase for them." responded Mom, chewing on her gum, her eyes never leaving the sharp-toothed boy; though he didn't show this fact, he felt slightly self conscious at the stare of such a sarcastic, blunt woman. Lando glanced up at Akihiko, who was going through her bag for something, and slowly leaning into Mom's shoulder, whispering something into her pierced ear, where jeweled hoops that had to cost as much as the coffee table if not more hung.

Mom listened with interest, nodding her head every few words, then Lando leaned away, Akihiko apparently finding what she'd needed.

"So," began Mom, "you're dating Rin? How come you didn't tell me?"

Akihiko's body went rigid, and the folder she was flipping through fell to the ground, Math papers that Lando knew she'd copied off Makoto for fluttering out.

"I-it just happened today, Mom, like, half an hour ago! I was gonna call you when I got home!" objected Akihiko, bending to retrieve her papers.

Mom's gaze turned back to Rin from her daughter, who was about to kneel to help her, though stopped at that familiar, bold voice. "Rin, you can talk, you know. You used to never shut up as a kid."

Rin hesitated, and then gave a laugh, exposing his teeth, "Oh - yeah, sorry, Mom."

As children, Reika Hazuki had been a sort of mother to the whole team, cheering the loudest and defending those on her team if a bad word were ever spoken about them, to the point where, once, she had to of been escorted out by security, Goro Sasabe attempting to clear her name, an embarrassed Akihiko tailing them.

"Well, that's better, I guess." remarked Reika, "Where do you go to school at, Rin?" she asked, nodding her head towards his uniform.

"Oh - Samezuka Academy."

"Really? Nice, Rin. Do you need a ride back there, later tonight?"

Akihiko hesitated, glancing out of the corner of her eye to Rin, though he had already responded, giving her mother a respected inclination of his head.

"I'd love one, Mom."

* * *

When the woman came home later, dressed in a baggy tee-shirt and jeans, though still managing to keep her elegant air, Akihiko was sitting at the marble island in the kitchen, the water running upstairs evidence Lando was now in the shower, Nagisa already in bed with Hime. Her towel sat in a turban on her head, holding up her damp hair, black smeared underneath her eyes from make-up.

"Mom?" asked Akihiko as Reika limped into the kitchen, dropping her Coach purse on the counter, keys rattling from the inside; she slid onto a stool with a grunt, looking across the island to her daughter.

"What is it, Aki?"

The young girl bit her lip, adverting her eyes from her mother. "Um... I was just wondering... If maybe you could keep quiet about my relationship with Rin, you know, from Nagi and the rest of the team? They have regionals coming up, and I don't know if any of them would get mad, Rin on another team and all..."

The mother, a regal woman even though her appearance did not prove her elegance, looking down at her daughter with those same pink eyes. After a moment, she sighed, though nodded her head, honey colored hair bouncing.

"I guess, Aki."

* * *

The next day, the Hazuki siblings, with the addition of Lando, had been dropped off by Reika Hazuki on her way to her new hospital, dressed in scrubs decorated with penguins and angel fish. As a consellation prize for how long it had taken her to switch workplaces, she got the three teenagers breakfast, and, as Akihiko had asked of her, not a word more was said of Rin Matsuoka and their relationship.

After school, the five girl friends were gathered at the pool, all of them passing around a bottle of Dr. Pepper that Akihiko had bought, taking 'sips'. They had arrived while the boys were in the locker room, and, once they walked out, dressed in their swimwear, Suzeme stood, handing Akihiko her empty bottle back, resulting in a incredulous face that said, _'Sips! You said you'd take a SIP!'._

"Okay," began Suzeme, pressing a knuckle to her lips, as if to suppress a burp, "Now that the whole team's here,"

Her voice was joking, though it always was. She still wore her uniform, though around her neck a lanyard swayed, its writing concealed by the sun's reflection.

"I'm in-charge of the swimming club's pages in the yearbook- I beat Asuka to the sign up board! So don't freak out if you guys see me taking your picture - I'm not stalking any of you."

"Except Haru." muttered Asuka to the other girls, who giggled at Suzeme's pursed lips. The boy in question however did not seem to hear, as he just dived into the pool, their yearbook manager pulling her camera from her bag almost immediately.

"In-charge of the fucking band pages." said Asuka, shaking her head to herself as Suzeme zoomed her camera in, "Just great. That class gives me a headache."

"Likewise." agreed Akihiko, their heads all turning as Bunko stood, throwing her drawstring bag over her shoulder, gathering up her Economics book.

"Where are you goin?" asked Lando, glancing up at the freckle-faced girl.

"Soccer practice. It starts at 3:30, so I thought I'd hang out here for a little bit before I headed to the field. I'll see you guys later, alright?" she said, waving a hand as she began walking; the team perked their heads up from the water.

"Bye-bye!"

"Come back tomorrow, Bunko-chan!"

"Goodbye, Suzumi-senpai!"

"... Bye."

"It's Bunko, Rei! Bye, guys; I'll make sure to be back tomorrow, Nagi!"

She smiled at the team, before disappearing, jogging along the fence, clutching the thick book to her chest.

* * *

"There goes the ball!"

"I got it, guys; no need to move so fast!" said their Captain sarcastically, slowly jogging towards the soccer ball that was rolling to a halt. Blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, bouncing behind her, bangs pushed back with her headband, though this could not hide her frizzy locks, evidence her team stressed her to no end. Freckled cheeks gleamed with sweat as she slowed down, someone kneeling and picking up the ball once it had come to a halt at their feet.

"Suzuki-senpai, here you go."

Her turquoise eyes blinked, slowly turning upwards to look at the bluenette. "It's Bunko, Rei - swim practice is already out?" she asked, reaching out to retrieve the ball from him.

His amethyst gaze stared down at her, allowing her to scoop the ball up from him, their knuckles barely grazing. "... It's seven o'clock, Bunko-san."

"What?! Practice was supposed to end an hour ago!" she groaned, hair frizzing as she turned back to face her team; she dropped the ball, pulling her foot back, kicking it a good fifty yards, voice rising, "Alright, guys; let's finish this up, and then you're done for the night! Make sure the field's clean before you go!"

She sighed, turning back to the boy, "Sorry, Rei. Thanks for grabbing the ball for me. You should of joined the soccer team, instead of swimming. The boys' team might stand a chance with you on it."

"Oh - thank you, Bunko-san."

"Chan's fine, Rei."

He could not think of a time she's used a suffix on his name; he found it strange a girl of her intellect - valedictorian worthy, perhaps - to be so improper with names. Perhaps she was just absent-minded? No, she did not seem that type of girl. Maybe she just viewed him as that good a friend? He was broken from his thoughts by her yelling, calling out number fifteen's stumble.

"Bunko-chan?"

"Yes, Rei?"

The Captain of the girls' soccer team turned towards him; he noticed that, underneath that top-layer of wavy blonde hair, was a darker, browner color.

"Oh - Takahashi-senpai said she'd be going with us to regionals, and that Shimizu-senpai would come as well, to help take pictures, and of course Hazuki-senpai and Layton-senpai will be coming. Will you, Suzumi-senpai?"

"Bunko." she corrected once more, glancing away from the field, from her team, "And, well, yeah, Rei. Akihiko and Lando aren't exactly sports people, and Suzeme and Asuka will be too busy taking pictures, so you'll need a proper cheerleader."

"That's good, Bunko-chan." the bluenette's words suddenly became rushed, running together; his face was slowly becoming the same blaring red as his glasses' frames, lenses fogging, "U-um, well, Bunko-chan, I was thinking, that, maybe, we could go out and get to know each other, considering-"

"Mai! Stop stumbling, you're gonna end up falling and embarrassing yourself and the whole team!" the girl huffed, hair frizzing as she turned back to Rei, "Sorry about that, Rei, I didn't hear you. What'd you say?"

_"O-oh, nothing, Bunko-chan! Never mind!"_

A reason Bunko Suzumi, Captain of the girls' soccer team, was so well known, was because of her infamous leadership skills.

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, guys! D: I've been stressed out lately from school...**

**TsubakiHana: xD Thanks! :3 Glad you like it!**

**faded colors: Thanks! :3 I try to base the friendships off of people I actually know and interact with, so I'm happy that's working out! :D**

**... So, yes, I have decided I will be doing a lemon! I haven't decided if there will be one in Nostalgia (most likely...), but, even if there was, it wouldn't happen for awhile; so, to tide everyone over, I'll be posting a separate oneshot with a lemon; it'll be Akihiko and Rin, and (even though it's a little late now...) will be Halloween themed! I've already started it, so look out for that! :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

"We just started dating," said the girl sitting in the recliner, holding her phone in her hands; she'd already changed into her normal cami and sweatpants after school had ended, "and we talk less then when we were friends."

"Maybe he's avoiding you." said Lando, reaching forward for a piece of pizza from the bow upon the coffee table; Mom had told them to eat before Nagisa returned, the younger brother going with his team (and the addition of Bunko, who had gone so far as to miss soccer practice) to check on the absent Rei.

"Well, who can blame him. Look at her." joked Mom, splitting her crust in half and throwing the smaller piece to Kairi, handing the bigger to Hime. She had been sent home early for the day; not two hours into her day she had been assigned a nurse to teach, and, by the fourth hour, she had the young girl, fresh out of college, crying and bawling, begging to never work in the E.R. What had happened to the student, whether she quit or stayed, was unknown - Mom said she did not care, as long as she never had to teach her again.

"I know, right?" responded Lando through her bite of pizza.

"Guys!" objected Akihiko, throwing her phone down into her lab, "I'm serious about this! He hasn't texted me _at all _- we talked for, like, ten minutes after Mom dropped him off at Samezuka, and then he just randomly stopped messaging me! I'd understand if he had practice, and then there's school, but he could of texted me before school!"

"Why don't you ask Seijuro?" inquired Lando, raising a brow.

"I don't have his number, or Nitori's." replied Akihiko, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring down at her phone.

"Who are they?" asked Mom, looking at the two teenaged girls; Lando was the one to reply.

"Seijuro's the Captain of Samezuka's swim team, and Nitori's Rin's - well, what are they? Did we ever decide, Akihiko, if they were friends or not?"

"They're friends." huffed Akihiko, and Lando rolled her eyes, shrugging to Mom.

"I guess they're friends, whatever."

"Why not just go over to Samezuka?" asked Mom, reaching across Lando for a bread stick.

"I don't wanna seem that clingy. Besides, that's his territory. The only time I'd ever gone before was because he invited me."

"It's not his _territory._" objected Mom, covering her mouth as she spoke, still chewing; she rolled pink eyes, similar to Lando. "Just go and talk to Seijuro or Nitori, instead of Rin, tell him that you're worried about the retard. Tell them that you just don't want Rin to know."

"I don't know..."

"Oh my god, I'll go with you!" said Lando with a over dramatic sigh, and Akihiko hesitated, glancing down at her friend.

"Will you?" she asked, and Lando nodded, throwing down her crust, which Hime almost bit Kairi's head off for.

"Yeah, come on." said Lando, wiping her hands off on her jeans as she stood.

"Oh - let me go get dressed!" objected Akihiko, jumping up from the chair after kicking the footstool down, "We'll be back in a little bit, Mom!"

"Have fun." said the nurse, giving her daughter a half hearted waved before turning back to the T.V., to one of the many recorded episodes of General Hospital.

* * *

Akihiko shifted from one foot to the other inside Samezuka's waiting room - _is that what it's called?, _she asked herself, playing with the zipper to her camouflaged purse as she waited for Seijuro. She had decided to be risky today - though this was mostly because Lando was rushing her - wearing her Iwatobi swim team's jacket over the cami she'd been wearing around the house, jeans replacing her sweatpants. Lando stood beside her, pizza sauce wiped on her jeans, and, when she had first walked in, crumbs had still been surrounding the corners of her mouths.

"Yo, Akihiko!"

At her name, she let go of her purse's zipper, turning towards the voice; the Captain of Samezuka's Swim Team was leisurely walking towards the two girls, waving his hand at them with an ecstatic grin.

"Hey, Seijuro-kun." responded Akihiko, smiling back at the boy, "This is Lando, by the way."

Seijuro turned his smile down to Lando, "Seijuro Mikoshiba!"

"Trust me, I know your name." said Lando, giving a half-hearted wave back to the Captain.

"Anyway, Seijuro-kun, I'm here because-"

"Akihiko, Nitori said something about you and Rin getting together? _How cute!"_

Akihiko's eyes blinked as she looked up at the Captain, "Oh - um, yeah, that's actually why I'm here."

"Oh?" he asked, and it was his turn to blink, "Has he already messed up, Aki?!"

"Oh, he did that a _long _time before they actually got together." scoffed Lando.

"Lando, no he didn't-"

"Ahh, did he really, Aki?! Do you want me to beat him up? Or maybe make him do a few extra laps?"

_"You can do that?" _asked Lando, open-mouthed.

"N-no, Seijuro, I don't want you too - thank you for offering, though! I'll make sure to remember that in the future." said Akihiko, holding out her hand to settle the boy, "I just wanted to know if you knew what was wrong with him today. He hasn't been answering any of my texts..."

"Hmm." the tall boy placed his hand to his chin in thought, and the girls looked up at him, waiting, "I know that, earlier today, somebody stopped by to talk with him. He's been kind of off for awhile, now, but after the visit he's been acting strange, I guess."

"Who would want to talk to _him_?" asked Lando, and Akihiko swatted her friend's arm in response.

"Do you know who it was, Seijuro-kun?"

"Hmm, no, sorry, Aki. I don't." At the girls' fallen faces, Seijuro hesitated, "Ahh! Here, I'll show you Rin's room. You can talk to him, if you want."

"Can you do that?" asked Akihiko, leaning in towards the Captain, "I mean, it's an all boys' school..."

"It'll be fine, just stay close to me, girls!" he laughed, his hands clapping down on the twos' shoulders, beginning to pull him along, Lando giving an annoyed grunt.

"Oh - thank you, Seijuro-kun!" Akihiko said, smiling, and he squeezed her shoulder in response.

"Anytime, Aki!" he laughed once again, pulling them down a hall; the two girls both tried to remember the way to his room, Akihiko in case this were ever to happen again, Lando if he were to make Akihiko cry, so she could beat him up.

"Here we are, girls!" he said, stopping at a door; neither of the girls could remember the way, all doors looking the same to them. They managed to get a look at the room number, however, hoping this would help them.

"Oi, Rin, there are two cute girls here to see you!" called Seijuro, pounding on the door; they all waited, though there was no reply, and the boy huffed, "He's in there, he's just ignoring me."

"Here, why don't you try, Aki?" suggested Lando, though she did not give her friend a chance to reply; she turned to the Captain, "Seijuro, show me around here." she ordered, and the boy grinned, nodding his head and wrapping his arm round her shoulders, beginning to pull her along.

Akihiko waited until they'd disappeared around a corner to take a breath, knocking gingerly at the door, "Rin? It's me, open the door."

No reply.

She scrunched up her nose, _how rude. _She even called out Nitori's name, though he seemed not to be in the room at the moment.

"Well this was a bust..." she muttered to herself, knocking once more; she puffed out her cheeks, and tried opening the door, surprising herself by finding it unlocked. She slowly pushed it open, sliding her way inside the room, glancing around; her shark-like boyfriend was laying on the bottom bunk, headphones in and book in hand.

"Um, Rin?" she questioned, closing the door behind her gently; he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye and bolted up, pulling his headphones from his ears.

"Aki?!" he threw the book down, music still blaring from his headphones, "What're you doing here?!"

She cringed at his rising voice, leaning against the door, feeling the doorknob touching her back. "You haven't been answering any of my texts, so I got worried... Seijuro showed me where your room was..." she muttered, adverting her gave to the messy desk - she wondered briefly if it was Nitori's or Rin's mess, and mentally laughed at her question. It was Rin's, obviously. Nitori didn't seem like the messy kind.

"Oh... sorry." he said, unplugging his headphones, "I've been... kind of busy today."

"So I've heard." said the girl, pushing off the door, taking slow, experimental steps forward; finally, as if deciding the room was safe, she crossed over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge of the bottom bunk, glancing back at Rin. "It's fine, I just wanted to make sure you felt alright."

"I'm fine." he replied curtly, and she blinked, about to tell him to correct his attitude, though decided against it; he seemed on edge. He pushed his phone and book to the side; she was unable to catch a look at the title.

"Are you sure?" she asked as he moved closer to her, scooting his legs to hang off the edge, turning so their knees touched.

He didn't reply, instead leaning into her, kissing her before she could object. Her eyes stayed open even though his had closed, his hands going to her hips; she slowly pulled away, though only slightly, seeing his eyes open as soon as she'd objected.

"You seem off." she said, though she was unsure if these were Seijuro's words or her own.

Once again, however, he just quickly leaned in, though she was prepared this time, backing away.

"Are you stressed out?" she asked quickly, feeling the words tumble out before she could stop them, "About regionals?"

"... A little bit." he said after a moment, and she slowly nodded in response, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"See, it wasn't hard... You can just say that." she said softly, and he slowly nodded, leaning in as well.

"Sorry, Aki. You didn't have to come all the way out here." he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

"It's fine." she replied, and it was her to kiss him for the first time, slowly closing her eyes; he responded quickly, and, the next thing she knew, she was laying down on his bed, her purse pushing uncomfortably against her stomach, blocking Rin from fully pressing against her.

She panicked; opening her eyes, she saw his still closed, and she stopped responding to the kiss; he blinked his eyes open, pulling his mouth from hers, looking down at her, waiting for an answer to his unspoken question of what was wrong.

"Take it... slow, right?" she asked, breathing heavily, and she was unsure if her question was clear or not.

He hesitated, and then gave a tiny smirk, nodding his head slowly; he once again leaned in, and she allowed him, closing her eyes once more and kissing him back. His hands traveled up and down her sides, leaving her shivering; her hands ran through his hair, pulling it from its ponytail.

His hands were reaching to undo her jacket when there was a pounding on the door.

_"Akihiko!" _called a familiar voice - Lando. _"Check your phone! Did Suzeme text you?! Mako told me she was waiting at Haru's house for him after they went to see Rei! What the hell is up with this?!"_

Akihiko bolted up; her forehead knocked with Rin's, and they pulled back with pained grunts, holding their heads - a familiar scene from when they first kissed.

"Ahh - No, Lando, I don't think she texted me!" Akihiko yelled back through the door; she took hold of Rin's hand, pulling it from his forehead, as if to check for a bruise, "Sorry." she whispered to him.

He didn't respond, kissing her once again, quickly, briefly, "... Guess you need to leave?" he asked.

"I probably should. Mom will want me home, soon. It's a school night." she said, leaning back in and kissing him again once he'd pulled away. "Text me, alright?" she asked, slowly sliding off the bed.

"I will."

"Promise?" she asked in a teasing voice, smiling over her shoulder at him.

He hesitated, then smirked at her, "Promise." he said.

That smirk was wiped off when she opened the door, her back facing him, _'Iwatobi' _placed proudly between her shoulder blades.

* * *

**I feel like the last chapter was better... Hmm...**

**orangeporqupine: Haha, thanks! :D**

**MachineWash: Haha, it's fine! :D Stupid Rin xD**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys! For everybody who's been requesting it, I posted the Aki and Rin lemon! :D Also, the lemon takes place a long time from here, so you're not missing anything if you don't read it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.**

* * *

"That banner is really embarrassing..."

"Screw you Rei! We worked our butts off to make this!" objected Lando; Makoto flashed Rei a nervous face.

"It was mostly Asuka..." said Bunko; she was dressed in her soccer jersey, running over before practice to see the team off.

"The poster isn't embarrassing!" said Asuka, "I think it's pretty! And I _did _work really hard on it!"

"So screw you, Rei!" continued Lando.

"Is that Haru-chan's drawing?!" asked Nagisa, pointing a finger to Iwatobi-chan, not daring to come too close to the banner, Asuka standing next to it with a protective stance.

"I didn't think it'd be used for this..." said Haruka as Suzeme walked out from behind the banner, pulling her camera from the bag.

"Asuka was just gonna draw another one, but Suzeme suggested using yours." Akihiko said, giving a brief smile for the picture before she let go of her end of the banner, joining Suzeme, "Hmm... It's not all that embarrassing, Rei. It's kind of flattering, don't you think?"

"I guess..." muttered the bluenette.

"Well, I guess you boys should leave now, huh? So you can get plenty of rest at the hotel?" she said, glancing over her shoulder at her team.

"I'm gonna miss you, Onee-chan!" cried Nagisa, jumping forth and latching his arms round her neck; she mocked choking, only resulting in him to tighten his grip, until she was actually choking.

"Ahh - Nagisa, let go of her!" said Kou, Lando coming to Akihiko's rescue, prying his arms from her. "We'll head out there tomorrow, so don't worry too much!"

"The Roman General Ceaser said it best." began Ama-chan as Akihiko was regaining her breath, "If we cross, we will wreak tragedy. If we do not-"

"Oh, it's the bus!" interrupted Nagisa, looking over his shoulder.

"We're off, then!"

The girls all waved off the boys; Bunko wished Rei good luck on his first swimming at regionals before jogging off, hoping her team was not in a panic; Lando ran at Makoto and captured the boy in a tight hug, rocking him back on his heels; Suzeme took a moment to show Haruka the pictures she had taken of the banner; and Akihiko and Asuka were scolding Nagisa as he reached out to touch the banner.

* * *

Rin was about to shove his phone back in his pocket to climb on the bus after his little sister had wished both Iwatobi and Samezuka luck when it vibrated with another text; he huffed, expecting another text from Gou, though was surprised to discover the name to read _'Akihiko Hazuki.' _The subject was a heart; opening it, he discovered it was a picture.

She was holding up a notebook, flipped open to a page that read, _'Good luck, RinRin!' _in pink highlighter, hearts drawn on the sides of his name. She was smiling, revealing her little dimples on her cheeks, hair cascading down her shoulders in its normal straight fashion. He realized her to be in her room, familiar purple walls behind her decorated with pictures and drawing, notes from her friends; she must of just changed out of her uniform, for it laid at the head of her bed, ready to be washed, her wearing a blue shirt that he thought to be from Band - perhaps a souvenir from solo ensemble.

He was unsure what filter she used, though it made her look like royalty.

Snapping his phone shut before Nitori could question him further, he shoved it deep into his pocket, as if this would make him forget of her message, make him feel less guilty of not replying to any of her messages.

* * *

Akihiko sighed, falling back on her bed, notebook paper littered beside her; Suzeme sat at her vanity, charging her camera on Akihiko's laptop, Lando coloring a notebook paper on the floor with the help of Asuka. Bunko, too tired from soccer practice, had decided not to come over for the night, promising to meet them in the morning to ride with them to regionals.

Each notebook paper was decorated differently; she had already taped Rin's good luck sign to her wall, about to do the same with the rest when she ran out of tape. Each sign was done in their respected colors, Makoto's green, Haruka's blue, Nagisa's a blinding yellow, Rei's purple; she had individually sent all of the team their signs before taping up Rin's.

"Does this look good?" asked Lando, taking hold of her paper, sitting up and showing it off to all of them; _'First Place, Makoto!' _was written in bubbles, _'Love, Lando-chan!' _printed at the bottom.

"Mine is better." said Akihiko, barely giving it a glance; Lando's mouth fell open.

"Harsh!" laughed Suzeme, sitting backwards in the chair.

"I'm just kidding." responded Akihiko, sitting up, phone falling from her bust into her lap. "It looks really good, actually. Are you going to send it to Mako?"

"Yeah." said Lando, sitting it down on cream colored carpet, Asuka grabbing Lando's phone from the charger and handing it to her; she unlocked it with her passcode of 0925 - the date her and Makoto began dating. Holding her phone above the picture, it flashed as she took a picture of it; glancing at the screen, she decided it was good enough, sending it to her boyfriend.

"Did you send Rin his picture?" asked Lando, locking her phone and looking up at the bed.

"Yeah." sighed Akihiko, "But he hasn't replied. Last night, we talked for a few minutes after we left, but then he stopped, and hasn't replied since."

"Why don't you text Seijuro?" asked Lando.

Akihiko groaned, grabbing her forehead, "That's what I forgot to do yesterday."

"I asked him for his number while you were in Rin's room. Do you want it?"

Akihiko hesitated, glancing down at her friend, nodding; as Lando read off the boy's cellphone number, Akihiko punched it in, saving it in her phone before typing out a message, telling him it was Akihiko, asking the Captain if Rin was alright.

The reply came almost automatically, and she read it off for her friends to hear.

_"I dunno, Aki. He's been acting weird the past few days. Has he still been ignoring you?"  
_

She typed in a yes, to which he responded, _"Do you want me to beat him up?"_

She chuckled to herself, declining his offer, though thanking him for it; she told him she believed that he was just stressed over regionals, though he seemed to avoid this subject, asking her if she was coming. She said she was. Taking a red from the pack, unable to find a gold, she uncapped it, moving her phone to the side; covering the whole page with her writing, she wrote,_ 'Good luck, Seijuro!' _as she'd done for the other boys, drawing sparkles around the page, adding more exclamation marks then necessary.

She grabbed her phone, picking up the notebook - passing it off to Lando, she ordered the girl to take a picture of her, flashing a wink and giving a thumbs-up with one hand, the other holding the notebook. She sent it to the boy as soon as Lando had handed her phone back, asking him for Nitori's number as she found a gray marker, flipping it open to another blank page, writing the same message with Nitori's name, drawing flowers in replace of Seijuro's sparkles. She only took a photo of the notebook, this time around - only Seijuro and Rin had gotten their signs with her face. Seijuro sent her an ecstatic thank you before giving her the boy's number - she sent him his picture, telling him it was Akihiko-chan, Rin's girlfriend, to which he responded with a happy thanks to Matsuoka-senpai's girlfriend.

If either Nitori or Seijuro showed the sharp-toothed boy their signs, he did not message her about it.

* * *

Seijuro also stopped messaging her that night - she brushed it off that the Captain must of gone to sleep early, to rest up for the tournament, though she couldn't help but ask herself if maybe she was just annoying.

The four girls awoke groggy, surrounded in crumpled up paper; Mom had bought tape on her way home from the hospital last night, and all Akihiko's signs hung on her wall, fluttering from the fan with all of her other pictures. They had luckily all taken a shower the previous night; Suzeme dug out her hair curler from her bag, Akihiko gathering her most expensive hair straightener to use for the event, Asuka dampening her hair to scrunch it, leaving Lando to decide that today was apparently not the day to pull her hair up in a bun.

"I don't understand why we have to treat this like a dinner party." she said as she plugged in Akihiko's old straightener beside Suzeme's curling iron.

"Why not? I'm looking forward to curling my hair for this." said Suzeme as she applied foundation.

"Well, yeah, but that's just because you want to get with Haru." said Lando, sitting down on the floor beside the vanity, brushing out tangles.

_"Oh my god, that is not the reason!" _objected Suzeme, though Lando paid her no mind.

"Because, it's for the boys." said Akihiko, waiting for her straightener to heat up; she's already applied her make-up, thin black lining her eye lid, switching her spot in the bathroom with Asuka, so the short girl could do her hair.

Lando simply shrugged, tearing out hair as she pulled the brush through her hair.

* * *

Bunko had kept her promise, arriving at the house dressed in her band sweatshirt from the previous year, hair falling in her normal, natural waves down her shoulders, for once wearing eye-liner at the last-minute request of Akihiko. All the girls came bounding out of the house with excited giggles, Mom closing and locking the door behind her, saying goodbye to Kairi and Hime, promising them she'd be back later with treats.

"Alright," said Mom, pulling her keys from her purse, "I don't know how all you little monsters are gonna fit in the truck, but you gotta do it, or else one of you is staying here."

Akihiko jumped in the passenger seat of the truck - for the day, she wore her Iwatobi Swim Team jacket, staying loyal to her team, fuchsia Coach purse hanging across her body instead of the camouflaged satchel. Asuka wore a cardigan, her scrunched bangs held back by a bobby pin that she held in place as she climbed in one side of the truck; Lando was next, straightening her hair to the best of her ability, though it was already beginning to spring back into her curls. Suzeme's short bob was curled, and she'd borrowed one of Akihiko's hair bows to hold aside her bangs, blue beanie hanging on her head. Her lanyard, claiming her a yearbook manager, was swinging around her neck as was Asuka's. Bunko heaved a sigh as she jumped in, muscles sore from soccer, and closed the door behind her, the four girls smushed together in the backseat.

"Okay," said Lando, "Suzeme and Bunko are the skinniest. They can share a seatbelt."

"I don't think that's how it works." said Bunko, though Lando and Asuka had already strapped themselves in, as if a race.

By the time they'd arrived, Kou and Goro had already found the boys, Ama-chan and Chigusa already having found seats, Goro yelling at the boys not to worry of the outcome. Lando tackled Makoto in a hug once again; Suzeme was the second to reach the boys of the group of friends, laughing and Makoto and Lando, hands shoved into her tribal designed peacoat. Next walked up the remaining girls, Mom following behind them, though they barely had time for any words, the boys having to go down into their lines.

That was when they spotted Rin, the five girls leaning over the railing beside Kou and Chigusa. Bunko pointed him out, the other girls attempting to find him; Lando was unable too, and Suzeme laughed, angling Lando's face to the boy.

"He looks pissed." said Lando, stating the obvious; Suzeme snapped a picture, zooming in on Iwatobi's team, before speaking.

"Did he say anything to you, Aki?"

"Still hasn't texted me." she said, looking down at the boy; he indeed looked very pissed, and it made her stomach clench with worry. She turned towards her mother, who was sitting behind the girl, playing on her phone.

"Mom, come look at Rin." she said, and the blonde woman nodded, standing once her game had finished a few seconds later. She stepped towards the girls, Akihiko pointing out the boy, standing in line with Samezuka.

"Seijuro doesn't look all that happy, either, now that I've seen him." observed Lando, and Akihiko turned away from Rin to catch a look at the Captain while Mom assessed Rin.

"Didn't you say he was stressed from regionals?" asked Mom, looking at her daughter, who turned away from Seijuro to nod.

"Yeah, he told me that the other night he was."

Mom glanced back to the boy, looking him over once again, "He looks a hell lot more than stressed." she said, going back to her seat, unlocking her phone to show that that was all she had to say on the matter.

"Maybe you should ask Kou about it?" suggested Asuka as she took a picture of all the teams.

Akihiko shook her head, "No... That'd be embarrassing. Plus, I'm not sure if Rin wants her to know yet..."

Asuka glanced away from her camera after taking a look at the photo; she blinked at her, before turning back at the teams filed out, announcing the tournament to begin.

* * *

_"Men's 100 m freestyle, heat three."_

"Rin-chan's up next!" exclaimed Nagisa; Mom hesitated at her son's voice, glancing up from her phone, shoving it in her pocket. She couldn't very well ignore her daughter's boyfriend, not to mention the shark-like boy being so close to her from his childhood days.

Asuka and Suzeme had their cameras put away, saving their battery for Iwatobi's relay, though they discovered themselves much more into the tournament then they thought they'd be. Bunko, being the sporty girl she was, was enjoying it to begin with, loving the sound of a crowd cheering from her seat beside Rei; Lando had loved the sectionals, and had found regionals even more exciting with such a big, lively, tense atmosphere; and then there was Akihiko, who was a fan of the sport from a young age. Suzeme, Asuka, Lando, and Akihiko stood at the railing, watching as Rin took his spot.

_"Big brother, you can do it!"_

"Should we root for him, too?" asked Suzeme, glancing down at Asuka; the short girl shrugged, and Suzeme took this as a yes, looking back at the pool.

_"Hey, Daddy Shark!" _she yelled, cupping her hands round her mouth; the team gave her a strange look, as did her friends, _"Let's go!"_

Bunko sighed, placing her cheek in her palm as Lando picked up on this, joining in.

_"Yeah!" _agreed Lando, _"We didn't drive all this way to see you lose!"_

Akihiko was unsure if perhaps her team knew of her relationship with Rin, for they all cast her an expectant look, which she attempted to ignore, glancing back to the pool.

_"Set - Go!"_

Akihiko gasped, Bunko standing from her seat to go over to the railing, caught off guard by this. Lando's mouth dropped open, Suzeme and Asuka furrowing their brows at the pool.

"He had a late start?!" asked Makoto.

"Rin can make it up on the turn." responded Haruka, and Akihiko gripped hold of the railing, praying the boy to be right.

She heard Samezuka cheering; glancing up, she caught Nitori's eye, and held it before they both turned back to Rin's lane.

_"Come on, Rin!" _she shouted down to the pool; from beside her, Bunko joined in.

_"Go, Rin! Go, go, go, go!" _

Asuka was hit on the back by Suzeme; she sighed, muttering under her breath, _"Loser, you can't screw this up."_

It was the thought that count.

"What's wrong with him today?..." asked Akihiko to herself, in such a pleading tone that eyes were drawn, her Mom's pink eyes flicking towards her daughter protectively.

The boy touched the edge of the pool, panting as he yanked off his cap and goggles; their eyes did not turn up to the scoreboard, not daring to see what he placed. Akihiko's hand gripped at the strap of her purse, as if a lifesaver, Suzeme, Asuka, and Bunko disappointed this was what happened the first time they saw him swim. Lando's hands clenched into fists at her sides; she hoped Akihiko did not start crying, because she did not want to beat the boy up after such a loss.

Rin's hands found the edge of the pool, beginning to hall himself up; he failed, and Akihiko let out a strangled gasp, grip tightening on the strap, clenching it in her palm. She wheeled on her heel when Haruka jumped up, Makoto calling his name and running after him; Nagisa followed, as did Rei, and Akihiko was close at his heels, the four other girls unsure what else to do besides run after her. Mom sighed, glancing behind her at them; she turned back to the pool, and, a surprise even to herself, she felt the tiniest of regret for Rin.

* * *

Their attention was drawn at the loud bang that echoed throughout the hallway; Akihiko jumped, glancing behind her, as Rei pointed out which way it came from, all of them following after it.

At the sight of Rin, wild and angry, they all stopped; Akihiko was shocked to find herself gripping onto Rei's sleeve for condolence.

_"I'm done swimming!"_

The boy lashed out, kicking a nearby trashcan; the tiny grey-haired boy rose his arms in shock, Rin walking off, never noticing Akihiko's eyes as Nitori did. He glanced back at the team, before turning away, running off in the direction Rin had gone; though no words were said, Akihiko couldn't help but think he was apologizing. For what, she wasn't sure.

"Rin-chan was taken off the relay?..." asked Nagisa to no one in particular - Akihiko's phone dinged, and she hesitated, pulling it out of her pocket barely to take a glance at it.

"It's from Mom." she announced, "She said his name isn't in the line-up..."

"So it's true... We thought we'd be able to race Rin if we made it to the final..." said Makoto, glancing over his shoulder at Haruka, though the boy seemed too shocked to speak. He staggered back, leaning against the window, sliding down until he sat.

"I won't get to swim with Rin again?..."

Akihiko's grip tightened on Rei's sleeve at that; Suzeme glanced round at her friends beside her.

"Guys, the relay prelims are about to start..." said Bunko, glancing around at the swim team.

"... Bunko-chan's right. We need to focus on our own race right now!" said Makoto, to which Nagisa objected with, "But just look at Haru-chan!"

There was a pause, and then Akihiko felt Rei take a breath; she glanced up at the boy as he spoke.

"I have something to tell everyone." he began, and they all turned to him, except for Haruka, head buried in his knees, "Last night, Rin-san called me outside to talk. He told me that when he said he wanted to quit swimming in middle school, it wasn't because he lost to Haruka-senpai. He hit a wall while training abroad and his confidence was shaken... That's why he wanted to quit swimming. But after returning to Japan, running into Haruka-senpai, and racing him again, he could put it behind him. After watching us swim at prefecturals, he remembered what is was like, and wanted to swim in a relay again. That's why he said he'd swim with Samezuka to give us the best relay ever."

Akihiko's grip loosened on Rei's jacket; she blinked up at him, before gripping on once more, eyes turning to look down at her feet. Lando sighed, huffing it out - _Shark boy has some emotions, besides cocky asshole, does he? _she asked herself in a sarcastic tone, though it was half-hearted. Bunko, Asuka, and Suzeme could not help but feel sad, even for this boy they barely knew - Suzeme did not even have a joke for once.

"I didn't realize Rin-chan felt that way..." muttered Nagisa.

_I did, _thought Akihiko, still staring at her moccasins, _I was just too convinced it was stress to realize it..._

"But that's not really what he wants." continued Rei, "He didn't care about the race. He just wanted to swim with all of you again. To swim with the best teammates he could have..."

They did not realize Haruka had stood until he had spoken, "How do you know that?" he asked, and they turned away from Rei towards him, Akihiko glancing up.

Rei thought for a moment, and, when he replied, he was smiling, "Because... I feel the same way he does."

They all blinked at him, though he just continued, "I want to swim in a relay with all of you, with the best teammates I could ask for. I'm sure you feel the same way, Haruka-senpai! The race isn't important. There's someone you want to swim with, right?!"

Akihiko hesitated, glancing away from Rei to Haruka; the girls, though they did not make an attempt to leave, could not help but feel they were intruding, not being a part of the team.

"... I want to swim with Rin..."

There was a pause, the girls all sharing a look; Akihiko smiled in reassurance at them, letting go of Rei's sleeve slowly.

"... If you don't do something, Rin-san will stop swimming. You're the only ones who can help him!"

"But what are we supposed to do?..." asked Makoto; Akihiko was shocked when Rei's voice rose as he responded.

"You still don't understand?! Logically speaking, there's only one possible solution!"

Lando was about to object when she realized Rei's meaning; she sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She supposed she'd let the boy off for yelling at Makoto just this once.

"Rei, are you really okay with that?" asked Haruka, and Akihiko glanced up at the bluenette.

"You don't have to do this, Rei, seriously..." she muttered to him.

The boy paused, before smiling, taking hold of his glasses.

"Of course I'm okay with it!"

* * *

Goro returned back, panting and heaving, "No luck!" he called, "I can't find them!"

"The medley relay swimmers are supposed to report soon... They'll be disqualified!" muttered Ama-chan; still sitting, Reika sighed, locking her phone after reading her text message from her daughter.

"Don't worry about them." said the blonde woman, and they all looked down at the E.R. nurse in the chair, "They'll be here soon."

* * *

As they split up, Bunko went on her own, able to run faster and cover more ground then the other girls, she checked the remaining hallways. Suzeme and Asuka were to check all entrances, while Lando and Akihiko explored the outside that Nagisa and Haruka did not cover.

It was when Akihiko was beginning to truly panic that Bunko found the two girls, barely stopping to tell them that they all were meeting up; Akihiko and Lando glanced at each other before beginning to run, following Bunko's lead. They joined the swim team and the other girls; Akihiko saw a tree in the distance, and realized the importance of this place almost immediately.

"Oh, there they are! _Rin-chan!" _called Nagisa; the redhead glanced up from Haruka, and Akihiko smiled at him, even though she had yet to regain her breath.

"Honestly," said Rei, and they glanced up to the boy as he folded his arms, "Watching you irritates me so much."

"We have never had so much in common." said Lando, and Rei smiled down at her, slowly becoming less and less afraid of her, before continuing.

"If you want to swim, go ahead."

"You better not fuck this up," muttered Lando, and Makoto placed a hand to her shoulder, all four girls hitting her shoulder in a scold.

"Come on, Rin." said Haruka, outstretching his hand, "It's my turn to show you a sight you've never seen before."

And, though Suzeme had a joke this time around, she did not say it, smiling at them as if she were a part of the team.

* * *

_"Men's medley relay, heat one."_

"They're here!" cried Kou, pointing out her team; Reika laughed from her seat.

"What did I tell you?" she taunted.

_"Men's medley relay, heat two."_

By now, the five girls had also returned, standing at the railing, watching their team. Suzeme and Asuka had their cameras out, taking photographs like crazy; Lando whooped as Makoto stepped forth.

_"Set! - Go!"_

"Come on, Mako!" shouted Lando, before joining in on the chant Goro had started; even Mom had stood at this, cheering even louder than Lando.

Akihiko smiled, Bunko too cheering; Suzeme and Asuka would occasionally pick it up, though for the most part worried about pictures.

When Nagisa jumped into the water, Reika became even louder - just as when they were children, she was the loudest to cheer. Akihiko hoped she would not get kicked out, this time around.

"They're in third!" announced Suzeme during a break; she zoomed her camera into the scoreboard.

"They've got first, if they try!" boasted Bunko, beaming.

"Rei's up next!" said Goro; Mom chuckled, though they were unsure about what.

It wasn't until they looked at Iwatobi's lane that they realized.

_"What?!" _they screeched, leaning over the railing, all except for Mom, who smiled, glancing over at her daughter, who smiled back.

Akihiko caught sight of Seijuro and Nitori across the pool; she smiled at them when they saw her, waving briefly, before looking back down as Rin jumped in.

"I told them to be free, but they went too far..." said Goro, and Mom laughed.

"Is it really all that surprising?" she said.

_"His entry angle is five degrees off, but I guess it will do."_

"Why are you here?!" yelled Goro; Mom smiled, sitting back down in her chair.

"I'll explain everything later."

"You," began Mom, drawing Rei's gaze, "are _way _too nice."

Bunko wrapped an arm around Rei's waist, pulling his eyes down to her as she gave him a squeeze. "She's right. That was really nice of you." she said, looking up at him, and, under her turquoise gaze, he felt his face heating up.

"Th-thank you, Suzuki-senpai."

_"Go, Rin!" _shouted Akihiko, cupping her hands round her mouth to amplify; Mom soon joined in, though did not need to stand in order for her voice to carry out.

"He better hope he doesn't mess this up." said Bunko, sounding dangerously close to Lando, "Maybe she said it at the wrong time, but I agree with him. You gave him a really big chance, Rei." She gave him another squeeze, and he smiled down at her.

From the other side of the pool, Nitori cheered, _"Matsuoka-senpai!" _and Akihiko smiled at him.

As Haruka jumped, Suzeme got one picture, then told Asuka to cover this for her; shoving her phone in the pocket of her coat, she began cheering as well for the noirette.

As he hit the wall, breaking the surface of the water for air, the number _1 _appeared aside Iwatobi; Asuka zoomed in, capturing a photo of the scoreboard, before she was dragged by Suzeme towards Rei for a hug, Bunko, Lando, and Akihiko already having their arms wrapped tight around the bluenette.

"Lando, are you crying?!" laughed Bunko, catching sight of the brunette girl's face buried in Rei's jacket, sniffling and whining.

_"N-no!" _snapped Lando, and they all laughed at her choked voice, "Shut up!" she objected, "It's just... It's making me cry as bad as a Nicholas Sparks book... Ugh..."

Akihiko laughed, though, at the sound of Nagisa's call of _'RinRin!' _and the team down below laughing, she herself felt tears come to her eyes, though, unlike Lando, she did not try to hide them.

Rei was glancing over the heads of the girls', down at the team - his team - and Bunko heard him mutter, "You guys truly are beautiful."

Mom was slowly clapping, and spoke to herself, "Good job, losers."

Asuka attempted to pull away from the hug, being held down by Suzeme, "Come on," she said, "We should probably go get a picture of the team, now that they've won."

"Oh, good idea." said Suzeme, letting go of Rei; she grabbed hold of her camera, turning it back on, "Come on, we'll head down to the pool."

"Hey, all of you!" said Asuka, snapping her fingers at the three girls still latched onto Rei, "We need him to go take a picture!"

Bunko let go, and, with the help of Akihiko, Lando's arms were removed from Rei; though they only needed the boy, the other three girls followed them down to the pool, until they'd reached Iwatobi's team, Akihiko's tears dried, Lando still rubbing at her eyes.

"We need a picture for the yearbook." laughed Suzeme, smiling at the boys, still dripping from the relay; they all glanced at her, and laughed, nodding. At the command of Asuka, Rei joined the picture, and all the boys joined together, smiling; except for Haruka, that is, though Suzeme did not expect him too, and didn't even bother too try and make him.

Lando sniffled, feeling a fresh batch of tears coming when she looked up at the team; Bunko chuckled, patting her shoulder, Asuka close beside them; Akihiko looked at her friends, smiling, before glancing to her team, the smile widening. They were all flashing the peace sign, aside from Haruka, and her brother, who had one arm stretched high; Rin's arm was thrown around Haruka's shoulders, the shark-like boy grinning.

Suzeme zoomed in and snapped the photo.

* * *

**Woah. I didn't mean for this to get so long.**

**So, yeah! Don't get scared; just because I'm done with the twelve episodes doesn't mean I'm anywhere near done with this fic! Oh, no no no! We still have Allen's nationals to go!**

**orangeporqupine: Here you go! :D **

**MachineWash: Thanks! :3**

**Alright, guys; as a warning, I might be disappearing for awhile, but I'll still try to update as much as I can! If I get a chance, it should me every two weeks, but I'll be back a little before Christmas, so don't fret! I haven't given up this or any of my other fics! :D Love you all! :3**

* * *

_"Hello, everyone."  
_

Behind the 5'10, shark-like boy, _'Rin Matsuoka' _was scrawled with chalk on the board. The redhead stood at the front of the almost empty class, face etched into a bored expression.

"My name is Rin Matsuoka. I previously went to Samezuka Academy. I have a girly name, but I'm a boy."

Nagisa, sitting at the front of the class, was slumped over at his desk, "Hmm, it doesn't feel quite right..."

"Zero points!" said Rei, hands to his glasses, sitting diagonal from the blonde; at the back of his row sat a familiar brunette girl, pink eyes staring out the window, instead of at her boyfriend, "Put more effort into it."

"You used to be more..." Makoto trailed off, attempting to find the right word; Akihiko glanced over at him, proving she had actually been paying attention the whole time.

"Fresh?" suggested Nagisa from the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah, that's it!" agreed Makoto.

"No!" objected Akihiko from the back, "I think you mean mobile. He used to be more mobile."

"Shut up!" snapped Rin, slamming his hands down on a desk, "You guys told me to do this!"

"It's pretty funny." said Akihiko, and, though Rin didn't see it, both Rei and Nagisa nodded their heads in agreement.

The door suddenly slid open, distracting Rin from replying to her.

"Hey! Why are you fooling around?!" snapped Kou, standing with a hand to her hip; beside her stood Nitori, while a dark-skinned boy stood behind them.

"Our joint training's about to start!"

"Yeah! Suzeme is already down at the pool waiting for you guys; she needs pictures of you guys training for yearbook!" said Kou, "So stop playing around, big brother!"

"Fine, fine!" snapped Rin, rubbing the back of his neck; the dark-skinned boy stuck his head in the classroom, discovering Akihiko sitting at the back, even though she tried to slide down in her seat.

"Aki! We need to head to the band room, Kuhn said if you're not there in the next ten minutes he's leaving! You told me you'd help me with my solo!" Indeed, he was already beginning to feel the stress.

"Fine, fine!" she agreed, and they all silently chuckled at how much she sounded like Rin.

"Let's get going, then!" said Makoto, standing from his desk; he knew Lando would be waiting for him at the pool.

"It's time to avenge my previous showing at our joint training." said Rei, standing with his hand to his glasses; Bunko had an away game today, and he had told her he'd be waiting at the school for her when the bus came back to walk her home. "I will show you my beautiful butterfly stroke!"

"Strong words, Rei!" smirked Rin, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Akihiko stood, brushing her hands against her skirt, her bag already in the band room, "I'll show you how good Samezuka is!"

Nagisa laughed, winking at him, "Wanna have a race?" he taunted; after practice, he would be going up to the art room, where Asuka was currently editing pictures for the band pages of the yearbook, to mess with her.

"You won't beat us!" objected Rin, "We've got our eyes set on the world."

"Haru, what are you doing? Hurry up!"

The noirette in the back gave a yawn; Akihiko passed by him, her hand ruffling her hair as she walked by, "Better hurry, Haru." she teased him, smiling down at him, and he stood, not replying to her; Suzeme would be there at the pool, readying her camera for him.

_"Akiiiii!" _

"I'm walking as fast as I can, Allen, calm down!" she said, rolling her eyes at the begging Allen; she walked out of the classroom, Rin close behind her, and he bent down to peck her lips as she turned one way, him going another.

"See you after practice?" he asked, and she smiled, nodding.

"I'll be in the band room. Tell Seijuro I said hi."

Rin rolled his eyes, not replying to her, waving a goodbye as he ran to catch up with the others. Akihiko smiled, watching them go, though was brought back as she was dragged down the hallway by Allen.

Once in the room, while waiting for Allen to ready his saxophone, she glanced down at the window; catching sight of the boys running towards the pool, she smiled down at them, called out of her stupor by Allen's voice.

_"Akkiiiiiii!"_

_"Coming, Allen!"_


End file.
